Definition of GAMBITS

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In 1656, a chess handbook was published that was said to have almost a hundred illustrated "gambetts." That early spelling of "gambit" is close to the Italian word, gambetto, from which it is derived. "Gambetto" was used for an act of tripping-especially one that gave an advantage, as in wrestling. The original chess gambit is an opening in which a bishop's pawn is sacrificed to gain some advantage, but the name is now applied to many other chess openings. After being pinned down to chess for about two centuries, "gambit" finally broke free of the hold and showed itself to be a legitimate contender in the English language by weighing in with other meanings.

Examples of gambit in a Sentence

I couldn't tell whether her earlier poor-mouthing had been sincere or just a gambit to get me to pick up the dinner check.

Recent Examples on the Web The White House chief of staff typically would be central to such a momentous gambit for a president, coordinating logistics, public statements and notifications of congressional leaders and allies. — NBC News, "Mulvaney was left in the dark on al-Baghdadi operation," 30 Oct. 2019 Seventeen shows in Brooklyn kick off the gambit, with many tickets pricy enough to deserve censure by Elizabeth Warren. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Madonna at War," 20 Sep. 2019 There are two problems with Johnson’s potential election gambit, though. — David Meyer, Fortune, "Currency Markets and Big Banks Now Prefer a Banker-Baiting Marxist to Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson," 4 Sep. 2019 Curry’s Warriors won three of the four over James’ Cavaliers, with insouciant because-I-can gambits such as this: The world was his. — Gary Peterson, The Mercury News, "LeBron James Jr. hits ridiculous trick shot, leaves calling card for Stephen Curry," 16 Aug. 2019 Connoisseurs of nature television are well aware that drama is usually attained via the old anthropomorphism gambit, i.e., the characterization of predator and prey as villain and victim. — John Anderson, WSJ, "‘Enchanted Kingdom’ Review: Emphasis on the Environment," 4 July 2019 In perhaps its boldest promotional gambit, Apple is literally giving the service away to customers. — Ryan Faughnder, chicagotribune.com, "Apple TV+ is here. Can it compete with Netflix and Disney?," 31 Oct. 2019 His trademark security gambit was to create a National Guard force, now deployed across the country and numbering more than 50,000 and growing. — Los Angeles Times, "Mexican President Lopez Obrador has transformed the office, but old problems thwart progress," 14 Sep. 2019 China’s desire to exert control will have been one of the motives for the Hong Kong exchange’s London gambit. — The Economist, "Hong Kong’s bourse seeks to snap up the London Stock Exchange," 12 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gambit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.