as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
The seemingly benign questioning was all just a gambit to get them to fess up to their wrongdoing.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gambit
With both Moscow and Washington now interested in working with New Delhi, Indian policymakers believed that their gambit had succeeded.
—
Tanvi Madan, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
That gambit failed Friday, when the New York Mets claimed the righty off waivers.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 5 Dec. 2025
Eight years later, Russ makes a last-chance gambit to resurrect his football dreams by disguising himself as Chad Powers, a talented oddball who walks on to the struggling South Georgia Catfish team.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 3 Dec. 2025
The right was initially at a loss for an effective response to this gambit.
—Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gambit
Tanvi Madan, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
That gambit failed Friday, when the New York Mets claimed the righty off waivers.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 5 Dec. 2025
Eight years later, Russ makes a last-chance gambit to resurrect his football dreams by disguising himself as Chad Powers, a talented oddball who walks on to the struggling South Georgia Catfish team.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 3 Dec. 2025
The right was initially at a loss for an effective response to this gambit.
—Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gambit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gambit
Noun
-
The New York Colored American reported that some offers of short-term work for Black men — moving livestock to or from Kentucky, for example — were ruses that ended with kidnappings.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Odysseus, the Ithacan warrior who is as celebrated for craftiness as Achilles is for brute strength, devises a clever ruse in which the Greeks place a giant wooden horse outside Troy’s walls and pretend to sail away.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Cherki is a dying breed of player, particularly now he’s been transferred to a Premier League which has moved away from off-the-cuff dribblers and towards set-play schemes.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Another worker operates the machine’s main controller, using a programming scheme for 3D printers called G-code to tell the printer what to build and how to build it.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
This dish will do the trick with crispy chicken and fresh zucchini tossed in a tender linguine with a robust lemon flavor.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
7 Jan. 2026
-
But even an invitation to hang out again, perhaps paired with a gift card to a local lunch spot, could do the trick.—
Mandy Len Catron,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gambit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambit. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share