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

Recent Examples on the Web

After scaling the route’s opening gambit—the four-mile-long Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, with a two-mile, 174-foot elevation gain, the race’s highest climb—the infamous crowds that line the route started to materialize. — Max Berlinger, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2026

This would present both a unilateral demonstration of good faith and an opening gambit for negotiations on an economic security alliance. — Theodore Bunzel, Foreign Affairs, 2 Nov. 2026

Bores regards it as at least a good opening gambit. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 7 May 2026

The variance with accustomed Goodspeed values is apparent from the very first moments, though the opening gambit fails due to an appalling lack of attentiveness from the audience. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026

Rhymes for opening gambit

• ambit