opening gambit
noun
: a first move
Their opening gambit in the negotiations was to demand a wage hike.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
That wasn’t the strong opening gambit that New England needed to start the second half.
—
Christopher Price, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Dec. 2022
That question, the film’s opening gambit, is a shrewd piece of propagandizing.
—Armond White, National Review, 29 Mar. 2023
The amendment was also Netanyahu’s opening gambit, the first law in a legislative package that menaces the judiciary more seriously—a package that Yariv Levin and the chairman of the Knesset Justice Committee, Simcha Rothman, were rushing through serial Knesset votes.
—Bernard Avishai, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023
The battle happening right now is the opening gambit in the war over America’s clean energy future.
—Matthew Miles Goodrich, The New Republic, 6 Mar. 2023
As an opening gambit for such an endeavor, Njinga’s tale is hard to beat.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2023
Christopher Price, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Dec. 2022
That question, the film’s opening gambit, is a shrewd piece of propagandizing.
—Armond White, National Review, 29 Mar. 2023
The amendment was also Netanyahu’s opening gambit, the first law in a legislative package that menaces the judiciary more seriously—a package that Yariv Levin and the chairman of the Knesset Justice Committee, Simcha Rothman, were rushing through serial Knesset votes.
—Bernard Avishai, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023
The battle happening right now is the opening gambit in the war over America’s clean energy future.
—Matthew Miles Goodrich, The New Republic, 6 Mar. 2023
As an opening gambit for such an endeavor, Njinga’s tale is hard to beat.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'opening gambit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near opening gambit
Cite this Entry
“Opening gambit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opening%20gambit. Accessed 3 Jun. 2023.
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