beggar-thy-neighbor

adjective

beg·​gar-thy-neigh·​bor ˈbe-gər-ˌṯẖī-ˈnā-bər How to pronounce beggar-thy-neighbor (audio)
: relating to or being an action or policy that produces gains for one group at the expense of another
followed beggar-thy-neighbor policies in imposing taxes

Examples of beggar-thy-neighbor 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.
Along with worrying about inflation — which is well above the BOJ’s 2% target — Ishiba loathes the developing-nation vibe that accompanies Tokyo’s beggar-thy-neighbor policies. William Pesek, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 Nationalist policies that maximize one state’s interests at the expense of others—beggar-thy-neighbor policies—are a poor way to resolve global problems. William Nordhaus, Foreign Affairs, 12 Oct. 2021 Tax abatement programs have long been controversial, pitting states and communities against one another in beggar-thy-neighbor contests. Christine Wen, The Conversation, 15 Feb. 2024 The administration then almost immediately invoked the Defense Production Act and mimicked Brussels’s beggar-thy-neighbor policy by limiting American exports of respirators and masks, too. Chad P. Bown, Foreign Affairs, 28 Apr. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of beggar-thy-neighbor was in 1945

Dictionary Entries Near beggar-thy-neighbor

Cite this Entry

“Beggar-thy-neighbor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beggar-thy-neighbor. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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