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Glite Dictionary
to play one against another

to play one against another

7.6
Make two people or groups compete to get an advantage for yourself
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : enfrentar a
  • The manager decided to play one against another to strengthen his position in the negotiation.

Examples

  • He liked to play one against another when negotiating with suppliers for better terms.

  • In office politics, some people try to play one against another to climb the ladder.

  • It's unwise to play one against another in a close-knit team, as it can backfire.

  • She often plays one against another when she wants to get the best deal from both contractors.

  • In the office, it's not uncommon for some employees to play one against another to gain favor with the boss.

Synonyms

to pit against each other
vsto play one against another
10 6.1

Make people or groups compete against each other

is similar but adds the goal of gaining advantage through that conflict
to play off
vsto play one against another
3 6.3

To make one person or group compete with another to gain an advantage

is broader manipulation of multiple parties by encouraging conflict to benefit oneself
to play the angle
vsto play one against another
1 7.7

Use clever or dishonest moves to get an advantage

is more specific, focusing on causing others to compete for gain

Antonyms

to unite
∞ 2.1

To join people or things into one group for a shared purpose

to collaborate
96 4.6

To work with other people to reach a shared goal

How Divisive

to stir trouble
  • Informal
5 5.3
to play one against another
7.6

Surface Forms

play one against another infinitive
played one against another past
played one against another past participle
playing one against another present participle
plays one against another third person singular

Morphology

play + one + against + another

The phrase literally combines 'play' (use/act upon), 'one' and 'another' with 'against' (in opposition), so a learner can infer that it means setting people in opposition; however the pragmatic sense of manipulating them to gain advantage is more idiomatic and may not be fully predictable from the parts. Cross-linguistically similar constructions exist, giving partial cues, but the manipulative nuance makes it only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrase play one against another gives a clear image: someone makes one person go against another, like moving two players to compete. So it means 'to manipulate' people by causing them to argue or compete to gain an 'advantage'.