divide and conquer
idiom
variants
or divide and rule
: to make a group of people disagree and fight with one another so that they will not join together against one
His military strategy is to divide and conquer.
Examples of divide and conquer in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The agents work in parallel and communicate with one another to coordinate their efforts—mimicking how human teams divide and conquer complex assignments.
—
Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
That’s part of the playbook—divide and conquer.
—Alex Abramovich, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Please don’t try that famous historic tactic of divide and conquer.
—Richard B. Williams, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025
Everyone can't do everything, so divide and conquer as a team.
—Kathryn Lancioni, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for divide and conquer
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
That’s part of the playbook—divide and conquer.
—Alex Abramovich, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Please don’t try that famous historic tactic of divide and conquer.
—Richard B. Williams, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025
Everyone can't do everything, so divide and conquer as a team.
—Kathryn Lancioni, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for divide and conquer
Cite this Entry
“Divide and conquer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divide%20and%20conquer. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
