carrot-and-stick

adjective

car·​rot-and-stick ˌker-ət-ᵊn-ˈstik How to pronounce carrot-and-stick (audio)
ˌka-rət-
: characterized by the use of both reward and punishment to induce cooperation
carrot-and-stick foreign policy
the carrot-and-stick style of sales management

Examples of carrot-and-stick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The willingness to spend truckloads on both Democratic and Republican candidates makes clear that the industry is using a carrot-and-stick strategy. Whizy Kim, Vox, 13 Sep. 2024 Since our calls to padlock these places seem to be going nowhere, maybe a carrot-and-stick approach could move the needle. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 19 Mar. 2024 This thinking was buttressed by what Israel believed was an effective carrot-and-stick approach: Hamas was deterred, Israeli officials assessed, and it was increasingly incentivized to avoid conflict by the gradual loosening of the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza. Natan Sachs, Foreign Affairs, 19 Jan. 2024 The program uses a carrot-and-stick approach to tackling gun violence. Sean Kennedy, Baltimore Sun, 9 May 2024 So in his opinion, a carrot-and-stick approach is needed—give farmers cash, but use legislation to force the rest of the supply chain to fall in line. Jessica Rawnsley, WIRED, 18 Apr. 2024 What seems to work best is a carrot-and-stick approach—creating positive reasons to take a bus or to cycle rather than just making driving harder. Andrew Kersley, WIRED, 19 Mar. 2024 But all of those potential costs are outweighed by the need to avoid a devastating two-front war. FROM BAD TO WORSE Israel has long believed that its military strength and carrot-and-stick diplomacy could deter Hamas. James F. Jeffrey, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2023 President Joe Biden's administration insisted that its carrot-and-stick approach of expanding legal routes while imposing more punitive measures on those who enter illegally is working. Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 19 Aug. 2023

Word History

Etymology

from the traditional alternatives of driving a donkey on by either holding out a carrot or whipping it with a stick

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of carrot-and-stick was in 1876

Dictionary Entries Near carrot-and-stick

Cite this Entry

“Carrot-and-stick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carrot-and-stick. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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