"divide and conquer" meaning in English

See divide and conquer in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Etymology: From Latin divide et impera. Head templates: {{en-noun|-}} divide and conquer (uncountable)
  1. A strategy for achieving political or military control. Tags: uncountable
    Sense id: en-divide_and_conquer-en-noun-krRbvsFA
  2. (computer science) An algorithm design technique that solves a problem by splitting it recursively into smaller problems until all of the remaining problems are trivial. Tags: uncountable Categories (topical): Computer science
    Sense id: en-divide_and_conquer-en-noun-ex-D97fL Topics: computer, computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, science, sciences

Proverb

Etymology: From Latin divide et impera. Head templates: {{head|en|proverb|head=}} divide and conquer, {{en-proverb}} divide and conquer
  1. In order to rule securely, do not allow alliances between your enemies.
    Sense id: en-divide_and_conquer-en-proverb-SvYdgUuD Categories (other): English coordinated pairs, English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English proverbs, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English coordinated pairs: 15 24 40 20 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 2 20 45 32 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 2 16 60 22 Disambiguation of English proverbs: 19 15 41 25 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 3 17 54 26

Verb

Forms: divides and conquers [present, singular, third-person], dividing and conquering [participle, present], divided and conquered [participle, past], divided and conquered [past]
Etymology: From Latin divide et impera. Head templates: {{en-verb|divide<> and conquer<>}} divide and conquer (third-person singular simple present divides and conquers, present participle dividing and conquering, simple past and past participle divided and conquered)
  1. To use a combination of political, military and economic strategies that aim to gain and maintain power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy. Related terms: divide and rule Translations (Divide and conquer): فَرِّق تَسُد (farriq tasud) (Arabic), 分而治之 (fēn'érzhìzhī) (Chinese Mandarin), rozděl a panuj (Czech), del og hersk (Danish), divide et impera (Dutch), deel en heers (Dutch), verdeel en heers (Dutch), hajota ja hallitse (Finnish), diviser pour mieux régner (French), დაყავი და იბატონე (daq̇avi da ibaṭone) (Georgian), teile und herrsche (German), διαίρει και βασίλευε (diaírei kai vasíleve) (Greek), הפרד ומשול (hafréd umshól) (Hebrew), oszd meg és uralkodj (Hungarian), deila og drottna (Icelandic), dividi e domina (Italian), 分割統治 (bunkatsu-tōchi) (alt: ぶんかつとうち) (Japanese), 분열시킨 뒤에 정복한다 (bunyeolsikin dwie jeongbokhanda) (Korean), divide et impera (Latin), dziel i rządź (Polish), dividir e conquistar (Portuguese), разделя́й и вла́ствуй (razdeljáj i vlástvuj) (Russian), завади па владај (zavadi pa vladaj) (Serbo-Croatian), deli in vladaj (Slovene), divide y conquista (Spanish), divide y vencerás (Spanish), söndra och härska (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-divide_and_conquer-en-verb-uAl5P6IT

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for divide and conquer meaning in English (7.4kB)

{
  "etymology_text": "From Latin divide et impera.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "divides and conquers",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "dividing and conquering",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "divided and conquered",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "divided and conquered",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "divide<> and conquer<>"
      },
      "expansion": "divide and conquer (third-person singular simple present divides and conquers, present participle dividing and conquering, simple past and past participle divided and conquered)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2020 December 2, Philip Haigh, “A winter of discontent caused by threat of union action”, in Rail, page 62",
          "text": "It added that it can't begin pay talks without permission from Transport Scotland, and then cited a TSSA union survey of ScotRail that suggested that most of its members were against strikes, instead preferring job security rather than a pay rise. This prompted the TSSA to accuse ScotRail of trying to divide and conquer.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To use a combination of political, military and economic strategies that aim to gain and maintain power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy."
      ],
      "id": "en-divide_and_conquer-en-verb-uAl5P6IT",
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "divide and rule"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "farriq tasud",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "فَرِّق تَسُد"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "fēn'érzhìzhī",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "分而治之"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "rozděl a panuj"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "del og hersk"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "divide et impera"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "deel en heers"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "verdeel en heers"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "hajota ja hallitse"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "diviser pour mieux régner"
        },
        {
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "daq̇avi da ibaṭone",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "დაყავი და იბატონე"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "teile und herrsche"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "diaírei kai vasíleve",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "διαίρει και βασίλευε"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "roman": "hafréd umshól",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "הפרד ומשול"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "oszd meg és uralkodj"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "deila og drottna"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "dividi e domina"
        },
        {
          "alt": "ぶんかつとうち",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "bunkatsu-tōchi",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "分割統治"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "bunyeolsikin dwie jeongbokhanda",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "분열시킨 뒤에 정복한다"
        },
        {
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "divide et impera"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "dziel i rządź"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "dividir e conquistar"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "razdeljáj i vlástvuj",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "разделя́й и вла́ствуй"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "roman": "zavadi pa vladaj",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "завади па владај"
        },
        {
          "code": "sl",
          "lang": "Slovene",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "deli in vladaj"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "divide y conquista"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "divide y vencerás"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "Divide and conquer",
          "word": "söndra och härska"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "divide and conquer"
  ],
  "word": "divide and conquer"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "From Latin divide et impera.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "divide and conquer (uncountable)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A strategy for achieving political or military control."
      ],
      "id": "en-divide_and_conquer-en-noun-krRbvsFA",
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Computer science",
          "orig": "en:Computer science",
          "parents": [
            "Computing",
            "Sciences",
            "Technology",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The quicksort algorithm is an example of divide and conquer."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An algorithm design technique that solves a problem by splitting it recursively into smaller problems until all of the remaining problems are trivial."
      ],
      "id": "en-divide_and_conquer-en-noun-ex-D97fL",
      "links": [
        [
          "computer science",
          "computer science"
        ],
        [
          "algorithm",
          "algorithm"
        ],
        [
          "design",
          "design"
        ],
        [
          "technique",
          "technique"
        ],
        [
          "recursively",
          "recursively"
        ],
        [
          "trivial",
          "trivial"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(computer science) An algorithm design technique that solves a problem by splitting it recursively into smaller problems until all of the remaining problems are trivial."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "computer",
        "computing",
        "engineering",
        "mathematics",
        "natural-sciences",
        "physical-sciences",
        "science",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "divide and conquer"
  ],
  "word": "divide and conquer"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "From Latin divide et impera.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "divide and conquer",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "divide and conquer",
      "name": "en-proverb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "15 24 40 20",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English coordinated pairs",
          "parents": [
            "Coordinated pairs",
            "Terms by etymology"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "2 20 45 32",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "2 16 60 22",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "19 15 41 25",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English proverbs",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "3 17 54 26",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "In order to rule securely, do not allow alliances between your enemies."
      ],
      "id": "en-divide_and_conquer-en-proverb-SvYdgUuD"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "divide and conquer"
  ],
  "word": "divide and conquer"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English coordinated pairs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English proverbs",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin divide et impera.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "divides and conquers",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "dividing and conquering",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "divided and conquered",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "divided and conquered",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "divide<> and conquer<>"
      },
      "expansion": "divide and conquer (third-person singular simple present divides and conquers, present participle dividing and conquering, simple past and past participle divided and conquered)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "divide and rule"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2020 December 2, Philip Haigh, “A winter of discontent caused by threat of union action”, in Rail, page 62",
          "text": "It added that it can't begin pay talks without permission from Transport Scotland, and then cited a TSSA union survey of ScotRail that suggested that most of its members were against strikes, instead preferring job security rather than a pay rise. This prompted the TSSA to accuse ScotRail of trying to divide and conquer.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To use a combination of political, military and economic strategies that aim to gain and maintain power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "farriq tasud",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "فَرِّق تَسُد"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "fēn'érzhìzhī",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "分而治之"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "rozděl a panuj"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "del og hersk"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "divide et impera"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "deel en heers"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "verdeel en heers"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "hajota ja hallitse"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "diviser pour mieux régner"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "daq̇avi da ibaṭone",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "დაყავი და იბატონე"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "teile und herrsche"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "diaírei kai vasíleve",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "διαίρει και βασίλευε"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "hafréd umshól",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "הפרד ומשול"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "oszd meg és uralkodj"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "deila og drottna"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "dividi e domina"
    },
    {
      "alt": "ぶんかつとうち",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "bunkatsu-tōchi",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "分割統治"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "bunyeolsikin dwie jeongbokhanda",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "분열시킨 뒤에 정복한다"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "divide et impera"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "dziel i rządź"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "dividir e conquistar"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "razdeljáj i vlástvuj",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "разделя́й и вла́ствуй"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "roman": "zavadi pa vladaj",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "завади па владај"
    },
    {
      "code": "sl",
      "lang": "Slovene",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "deli in vladaj"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "divide y conquista"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "divide y vencerás"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "Divide and conquer",
      "word": "söndra och härska"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "divide and conquer"
  ],
  "word": "divide and conquer"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English coordinated pairs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English proverbs",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin divide et impera.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "divide and conquer (uncountable)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A strategy for achieving political or military control."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Computer science"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The quicksort algorithm is an example of divide and conquer."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An algorithm design technique that solves a problem by splitting it recursively into smaller problems until all of the remaining problems are trivial."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "computer science",
          "computer science"
        ],
        [
          "algorithm",
          "algorithm"
        ],
        [
          "design",
          "design"
        ],
        [
          "technique",
          "technique"
        ],
        [
          "recursively",
          "recursively"
        ],
        [
          "trivial",
          "trivial"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(computer science) An algorithm design technique that solves a problem by splitting it recursively into smaller problems until all of the remaining problems are trivial."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "computer",
        "computing",
        "engineering",
        "mathematics",
        "natural-sciences",
        "physical-sciences",
        "science",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "divide and conquer"
  ],
  "word": "divide and conquer"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English coordinated pairs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English proverbs",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin divide et impera.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "divide and conquer",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "divide and conquer",
      "name": "en-proverb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "In order to rule securely, do not allow alliances between your enemies."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "divide and conquer"
  ],
  "word": "divide and conquer"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-24 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (82c8ff9 and f4967a5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.