gambit

noun

gam·​bit ˈgam-bət 

1

: a chess opening in which a player risks one or more pawns or a minor piece to gain an advantage in position

2

a(1)

: a remark intended to start a conversation or make a telling point

(2)

: topic

b

: a calculated move : stratagem

Did you know?

Don’t let the similarities of sound and general flavor between gambit and gamble trip you up; the two words are unrelated. Gambit first appeared in English in a 1656 chess handbook that was said to feature almost a hundred illustrated gambetts. Gambett traces back first to the Spanish word gambito, and before that to the Italian gambetto, from gamba meaning “leg.” Gambetto referred to the act of tripping someone, as in wrestling, in order to gain an advantage. In chess, gambit (or gambett, as it was once spelled) originally referred to a chess opening whereby the bishop’s pawn is intentionally sacrificed—or tripped—to gain an advantage in position. Gambit is now applied to many other chess openings, but after being pinned down for years, it also finally broke free of chess’s hold and is used generally to refer to any “move,” whether literal or rhetorical, done to get a leg up, so to speak. While such moves can be risky, gambit is not synonymous with gamble, which likely comes from Old English gamen, meaning “amusement, jest, pastime”—source too of game.

Synonyms of gambit

• ruse
• scheme
• trick

Examples of gambit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Early results indicate mixed response to the gambit. —Chris Willman, Variety, 22 Feb. 2026

To some leaders of the Council, President Harry Truman’s early recognition of the Jewish state in 1948 was not a great human-rights advance but a cynical gambit to pander to a bloc of voters and improve his chance of being reëlected in 1948. —Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026

But taken together, along with the cumulative weight of high-level diplomatic gambits to Beijing now underway — and many more on the horizon — something structural is happening that requires attention. —Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026

Dave Goelz, the voice of Gonzo/Dickens, speaks for the trees when describing this gambit’s success. —Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 9 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Spanish gambito, borrowed from Italian gambetto, literally, "act of tripping someone," from gamba "leg" (going back to Late Latin) + -etto, diminutive suffix — more at jamb

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing gambit

• opening gambit

Rhymes for gambit

• ambit