gambit

noun

ˈgam-bət How to pronounce gambit (audio)
Definition of gambitnext
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

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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 Charlotte Stewart’s bold gambit was rewarded with a four-season run as the kindly schoolteacher Eva Beadle-Simms. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Aug. 2026 That gambit is in the form of a budget bill, which can pass along party lines without Democrats. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026 The gambit has drawn lawsuits from opponents who argue the new districts are not compact and violate the state constitution, but the Missouri Supreme Court has left the map in place. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026 San Francisco made a risky gambit on Thursday by allowing left-hander Robbie Ray, who will likely be traded as well, to start against the Padres. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 2 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gambit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gambit
  1. ruse
  2. scheme
  3. trick
Noun
  • There’s a fun bit when Green pulls her badge to walk Reacher out through the police cordon, pretending to have placed him under arrest, but the ruse doesn’t last long.
    — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Patterson was accused of pretending to eat the same portion, and of feigning illness in an elaborate ruse to suggest she’d also been poisoned.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruse
Noun
  • McNeal added that his second year in the offense has given him more confidence in the scheme and motivated him to get stronger to contribute in the run game.
    — Alejandro Hernandez, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
  • While Simmons’ offensive scheme helped unlock FIU’s ground game last season, quarterbacks Keyone Jenkins and Joe Pesansky combined for 13 interceptions.
    — Alejandro Hernandez, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of scheme
Noun
  • Messi was instrumental in Argentina’s route to the final, opening his World Cup with a hat-trick against Algeria and scoring in each of his team’s matches up to and including the round of 16.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The key manufacturing trick was direct ink writing, a form of 3D printing.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of trick

Browse Nearby Words

gambadoes
gambit
gambits
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Cite this Entry

“Gambit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambit. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on gambit

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gambit

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