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.
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Recent Examples of gambit
California’s map, which could give Democrats five more seats, was redrawn in response to Texas’s gambit.
—
Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Fischbach has some thoughts as to why his gambit paid off, but first, learn a bit about him and the movie itself.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Vanderbilt eventually realized that its best gambit was going after the guard defenders in isolation and not involving Iwuala, who finished the game with three steals and two blocks in addition to 14 rebounds.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
The latter are something that Mafty wants to recruit, so the initial operation is part of that gambit, but by the end of the film, all bets are off, and the precarious abilities of Newtypes come to the fore.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gambit
Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Fischbach has some thoughts as to why his gambit paid off, but first, learn a bit about him and the movie itself.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Vanderbilt eventually realized that its best gambit was going after the guard defenders in isolation and not involving Iwuala, who finished the game with three steals and two blocks in addition to 14 rebounds.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
The latter are something that Mafty wants to recruit, so the initial operation is part of that gambit, but by the end of the film, all bets are off, and the precarious abilities of Newtypes come to the fore.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gambit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gambit
Noun
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While the ruse was going, Schreiner lashed out at anyone who was skeptical.—
Kenneal Patterson,
Vanity Fair,
19 Feb. 2026
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In a ruse that, for lack of a more astute reference point here, feels very Don Draper-coded, Rose poses as the dear male soldier who died next to her in battle, figuring why waste the deeds to perfectly decent land, or his name.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This latest news comes just a few weeks after Mayweather filed a lawsuit against Showtime Networks and the former president of Showtime Sports, accusing the company of helping facilitate a fraud scheme that deprived him of roughly $340 million in earnings.—
Matt Schubert,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2026
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Güell’s vision was to build an estate for affluent families—Gaudí planned 60 homes, a market, and gardens inspired by British parks (which explains the English spelling of the Catalan word parc), but the scheme never took off.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Wang Xindi won his first Olympic gold earlier today after landing a trick with five twists in the aerial event.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
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From selecting the perfect bag, to using versatile pouches, and choosing your accessories methodically, these are my tips and tricks for personal item packing.—
Taylor Fox,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gambit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambit. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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