as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gambit
Google made a similar gambit to re-hire researcher Noam Shazeer — who co-invented the transformer architecture that underpins generative AI during his tenure at Google — from his startup Character.
—
Richard Nieva, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
While the market credits Tesla today with hundreds of billions in value for such unproven gambits, Alphabet’s $2 trillion market cap reflects very little credit for the more-advanced Waymo robotaxi division.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 2 June 2025
The gambit of Part II involves scaling up and exporting that internal conflict.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 26 May 2025
Editors’ Picks Democrats said the Republican gambit was flimsy cover for doing just that.
—Carl Hulse, New York Times, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gambit
Richard Nieva, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
While the market credits Tesla today with hundreds of billions in value for such unproven gambits, Alphabet’s $2 trillion market cap reflects very little credit for the more-advanced Waymo robotaxi division.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 2 June 2025
The gambit of Part II involves scaling up and exporting that internal conflict.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 26 May 2025
Editors’ Picks Democrats said the Republican gambit was flimsy cover for doing just that.
—Carl Hulse, New York Times, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gambit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gambit
Noun
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The police investigation that followed included surveillance and a ruse where investigators answered local prostitution ads and were directed to the home.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
16 June 2025
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But this ruse is like the broader trans movement itself, which obliges you to deny the evidence dangling before your own eyes.—
The Editors,
National Review,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Several officers who either pleaded guilty or were convicted by a jury for their role in the corruption scheme had their felony convictions tossed out in favor of misdemeanors amid allegations of prosecutorial misconduct.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 June 2025
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While Google displays only the scheme and host name of the site the ad links to (for instance, https://www.microsoft.com), the ad appends parameters to the path to the right of that address.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 June 2025
Noun
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This isn't the first time the former Sports Illustrated model has shared parenting tips and tricks.—
Clare Fisher,
People.com,
23 June 2025
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The magic trick is that Sunny gradually learned how to distinguish its POV from the characters’, showing empathy not only for the Gang’s victims, but also the Gang itself.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gambit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambit. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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