opening gambit
noun
: a first move
Their opening gambit in the negotiations was to demand a wage hike.
Examples of opening gambit in a Sentence
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Leaders of eight major European countries met Monday to coordinate a response, after being caught on their back foot by Trump’s opening gambit on Russia-Ukraine talks.
—
Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 17 Feb. 2025
Trump’s social media post may have been just an opening gambit.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 5 May 2025
The Trump administration has sent mixed signals on whether the president’s tariffs are the opening gambit of trade negotiation.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 7 Apr. 2025
While Trump’s plan is saddled with moral, legal and practical obstacles, it may have been proposed as a negotiation tactic to try to ratchet up pressure on Hamas or as an opening gambit in a bargaining process aimed at securing a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC News, 9 Feb. 2025
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Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 17 Feb. 2025
Trump’s social media post may have been just an opening gambit.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 5 May 2025
The Trump administration has sent mixed signals on whether the president’s tariffs are the opening gambit of trade negotiation.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 7 Apr. 2025
While Trump’s plan is saddled with moral, legal and practical obstacles, it may have been proposed as a negotiation tactic to try to ratchet up pressure on Hamas or as an opening gambit in a bargaining process aimed at securing a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC News, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for opening gambit
Cite this Entry
“Opening gambit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opening%20gambit. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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