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I'm looking for a word that would convey the meaning of jumping on the bandwagon in an opportunist way.

So for example, Sara doesn't like Barbara cos of their own petty issues, but doesn't show the dislike. But this one time, Barbara is accused by a fellow student for being racist. Now Sara might not even believe the accusations, but she turns against Barbara and jumps on the bandwagon of 'canceling' Barbara, not because she believes the claims, but because it aligns with her dislike for her, and gives her satisfaction for her own ulterior motives.

I hope I've been able to convey the sense of the phrase. I think I know what it is, but just can't think of it.

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Powerthesaurus has a number of alternatives.

I think that 'follow suit' is a close synonym, in the sense of cardplayers following the lead of the first player and playing a card of the same suit.

to do the same thing:

When one airline reduces its ticket prices, the rest usually follow suit.

Cambridge

Rakuten claims huge edge cloud, as other operators follow suit

Rethink Research - 22nd November 2019

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  • Thanks for taking the time to answer. I feel like "follow suit" doesn't have any negative connotation like "opportunist" does. And for my context, it necessitates that - "Someone looking to cater to their own ulterior motives on someone else's expense". Would appreciate some more phrases close to that in meaning. Commented Nov 29, 2019 at 14:19
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After Barbara was accused by a fellow student for being racist, Sara also piled on.

pile on.
US, informal.
: to join other people in criticizing something or someone in usually an unfair way.
After the first few negative reviews, all the other critics started piling on.
— MW

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  • Thanks! That's a good one. Commented Nov 29, 2019 at 14:21

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