play A off against B

phrasal verbPart ofplay

play A off against B — phrasal verb

1. To make two people or groups compete or argue in order to gain an advantage.

1.phrasal verb
Definition

To make two people or groups compete or argue in order to gain an advantage.

Example

The manager played the two employees off against each other for a promotion.

Diego played his parents off against each other to get a later curfew.