divide and conquer

1. To gain or maintain power by generating tension among others, especially those less powerful, so that they cannot unite in opposition. Rachel is so popular because she divides and conquers all of her minions and makes sure they all dislike each other. He's a dictator, so of course he wants to divide and conquer ordinary folks like us. The extremist faction has begun to divide and govern. They've turned the other parties against each other, giving them the chance to rise to power.

2. To accomplish something by having several people work on it separately and simultaneously. The only way we'll ever get this project finished on time is if we divide and conquer. I'll put the slides together while you type up the hand-out. Let's divide and conquer—you work on the script and I'll work on the costumes. This isn't really the sort of task we can divide and conquer. I mean, we both have to read the book for the test.

divide and rule

To gain or maintain power by fomenting discord among people so that they do not unite in opposition. The ascendancy of the faction occurred because they were able to divide and rule—they fooled the other parties into fighting while they rose to power. He's a dictator, so of course he wants to divide and rule ordinary folks like us. The despot knew that, to stay in power, he had to divide and rule by keeping any would-be opponents fractured and powerless through effective disinformation campaigns.

divide and conquer

Also, divide and govern or rule . Win by getting one's opponents to fight among themselves. For example, Divide and conquer was once a very successful policy in sub-Saharan Africa. This expression is a translation of the Latin maxim, Divide et impera ("divide and rule"), and began to appear in English about 1600.

divide and conquer

BRITISH & AMERICAN or

divide and rule

BRITISH

COMMON If you try to divide and conquer or divide and rule, you try to keep control over a group of people by encouraging them to argue amongst themselves. Trade unions are concerned that management may be tempted into a policy of divide and rule. The Summit sends a very strong message to him that he's not going to divide and conquer. Note: This expression has its origin in the Latin phrase `divide et impera'. It describes one of the tactics which the Romans used to rule their empire.

divide and rule (or conquer)

the policy of maintaining supremacy over your opponents by encouraging dissent between them, thereby preventing them from uniting against you.

This is a maxim associated with a number of rulers, and is found in Latin as divide et impera and in German as entzwei und gebiete . Since the early 17th century, English writers have often wrongly attributed it to the Italian political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli ( 1469–1527 ).

diˌvide and ˈrule

keep control over people by making them disagree with and fight each other, therefore not giving them the chance to unite and oppose you together: a policy of divide and rule

divide and conquer/rule/govern, to

To win by getting one’s opponents to fight among themselves. This strategy not only was discovered to be effective in wartime by the most ancient of adversaries, but was also applied to less concrete affairs by Jesus: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matthew 12:25). The exact term is a translation of a Roman maxim, divide et impera (divide and rule).

See also: and, conquer, divide, rule, to

See also: