drives a wedge

Verb

drive a wedge (third-person singular simple present drives a wedge, present participle driving a wedge, simple past drove a wedge, past participle driven a wedge)

1. (idiomatic, often) To separate.
2. (idiomatic, often) To cause dispute or hostility between people.
   • “German trade with China dwarfs all other member states, and Germany clearly drives policy on China in the E.U.,” said Theresa Fallon, director of the Center for Russia Europe Asia Studies in Brussels. Germany’s economic dependence on China “is driving a wedge in trans-Atlantic relations,” Ms....2021 September 17, Jack Ewing, Melissa Eddy, “Merkel Leaves the German Economy With Trouble Under the Hood”, in The New York Times