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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Example Sentences
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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
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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
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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
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Sammis runs a pro-style scheme that prioritizes a strong run game and being efficient with the passing attack.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Jan. 2026
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Williamson, Newsom’s former chief of staff, pleaded not guilty in November in a scheme to enrich her friend Sean McCluskie, a longtime deputy to former Attorney General Xavier Becerra, using money funneled from one of Becerra’s dormant campaign accounts.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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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 13 Jan. 2026.
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