gimmick

1 of 2

noun

gim·​mick ˈgi-mik 

1

a

: a mechanical device for secretly and dishonestly controlling gambling apparatus

b

: an ingenious or novel mechanical device : gadget

2

a

: an important feature that is not immediately apparent : catch

… few readers would look for a gimmick in an advertisement featuring airline schedules, but few would fail to look for the fine print in an ad announcing New Low-Price Fares.

—Robert L. Heilbroner

b

: an ingenious and usually new scheme or angle

Even in professional careers, mere competence and craftsmanship is no substitute for a gimmick.

—James Poniewozik

c

: a trick or device used to attract business or attention

a marketing gimmick

gimmicky

ˈgi-mi-kē 

adjective

gimmick

2 of 2

verb

gimmicked; gimmicking; gimmicks

transitive verb

1

: to alter or influence by means of a gimmick

2

: to provide with a gimmick

—often used with up

Synonyms

Noun

• artifice
• device
• dodge
• fetch
• flimflam
• gambit
• jig
• juggle
• knack
• play
• ploy
• ruse
• scheme
• shenanigan
• sleight
• stratagem
• trick
• wile

Examples of gimmick in a Sentence

Noun

The proposal to cut taxes was just an election gimmick to win votes.

that free dinner is just a sales gimmick to get you to listen to their sales pitch

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Those on the right-flank have sounded off on the Senate’s use of the budgetary gimmick known as current policy baseline to permanently extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. —Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025

In recent years, Merve Emre—a professor, literary critic, and contributing writer at this magazine—has tackled a range of culturally salient topics, including motherhood, emotional intelligence, and gimmicks. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2025

Verb

Start your engines Mouse gimmicks aside, Nintendo is leaning heavily on two first-party exclusives to convince customers that the system is worth buying in the crucial early window after its June 5 launch. —ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2025

Newsom’s California budget gimmicks mask underlying problems ‘Too damn hard to build’: An East Bay Democrat’s push for speedier construction California legislation about Bigfoot started as an inside joke. —Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1908, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb

1922, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gimmick

• mimic
• thymic
• bulimic
• metonymic
• patronymic

Kids Definition

gimmick

noun

gim·​mick

ˈgim-ik

1

a

: an ingenious scheme or device

b

: a trick or device used to attract business or attention

a marketing gimmick

2

: an important feature that is not immediately apparent

gimmicky

-i-kē

adjective