if you can't beat 'em, join 'em

Idioms

Also, if you can't lick 'em, join 'em. If you can't defeat your opponents you might be better off by switching to their side. For example, Seeing that no one else was willing to stick with the old software program, Marcia learned the new one, noting if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, or I opposed a new school library, but the town voted for it, so I'll support it—if you can't lick 'em, join 'em. This expression dates from about 1940 and originally alluded to political opponents. The opposite idea is expressed in an advertising slogan used in the 1960s and 1970s by a cigarette company, in which the smoker would fight rather than switch brands.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Well, Mom always says if you can’t beat’em, join’em.”

From Literature

This isn’t really a case of “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.”

From Slate

This is not an “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em moment.”

From Salon

“It’s not ‘If you can’t beat ‘em, join ’em,’” Harbert said.

From Los Angeles Times

The unofficial “Christmas Convoy” appears to be guided by the concept that “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

From Washington Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023