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

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

If you can't defeat your opponent, then you might as well work alongside them or do what they do. A: "I thought you said you'd never join social media." B: "Yeah, but everybody else has, so if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I guess."
See also: beat, if, join
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

If you can't beat them, join them.

 and If you can't lick 'em, join 'em.
Prov. If you have to give up fighting some group because you can't win, band together with them. (The version with lick is informal.) Jill: I just got a kitten. Jane: I can't believe it! You used to hatepeople who owned cats. Jill: If you can't beat them, join them. Alan: I hear you're a Republican now. Fred: Yeah, I figured, if you can't lick 'em, join 'em.
See also: beat, if, join
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

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

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.
See also: beat, if, join
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

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

INFORMAL
People say if you can't beat 'em, join 'em to mean that if you cannot change what someone is doing, you should start to do it yourself. It became a case of `if you can't beat 'em, join 'em', and I ended up working there too. Note: This expression is often varied, for example by saying things such as if you can't beat 'em, you should join 'em, or by using the whole word them instead of 'em. Conscious of rising support for these policies, the Liberal party decided that if it couldn't beat them, it should join them.
See also: beat, if, join
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

if you can't beat them, join them

if you are unable to outdo rivals in some endeavour, you might as well cooperate with them and gain whatever advantage possible by doing so. humorous .
See also: beat, if, join
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

if you can’t ˈbeat them, ˈjoin them

(saying) if you cannot defeat somebody or be as successful as they are, then it is more sensible to join them in what they are doing and perhaps get some advantage for yourself by doing so: Everybody else seems to be leaving early today, so I think I will too. After all, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!
See also: beat, if, join
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • If you can't beat them, join them
  • If you can't lick 'em, join 'em
  • be/get in on something
  • get in on
  • have (something) to spare
  • have to spare
  • come in on the ground floor
  • be in on the ground floor
  • be, come, get, etc. in on the ground floor
  • goodnight Vienna
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And the resonant clang of a hammer's loud bang Makes me wince with the sound of each blow We decide to sit out in the garden a while And smell the carnations and stocks But we sigh in despair as thick smoke fills the air With the smell of burnt barbecued chops At the end of the day we can climb into bed And thankfully switch out the light But a party's begun in a garden somewhere Fills the air with loud shrieks of delight Well, we have to give in, for we really can't win And we've jobs that need doing ourselves If you can't beat 'em, join 'em - so we'll just mow the lawn Mend the fences and put up some shelves.
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If you can't beat 'em, join 'em doesn't really apply to Bogie since he beat Super 2000 rivals to the British crown but has considered joining them.
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