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
Jeffries tears into DeSantis as 'charismatically challenged' over redistricting gambit.
—
FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Jones' gambit might have backfired, however, and bad blood within the state legislature could hamper his candidacy.
—CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
This risky gambit signals that his prospects for higher office are evaporating fast.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026
This gambit seems disingenuous, given that Pritzker has pointed out that Congress is dysfunctional.
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gambit
FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Jones' gambit might have backfired, however, and bad blood within the state legislature could hamper his candidacy.
—CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
This risky gambit signals that his prospects for higher office are evaporating fast.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026
This gambit seems disingenuous, given that Pritzker has pointed out that Congress is dysfunctional.
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gambit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gambit
Noun
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They are accused of using several ruses to force their way into people’s homes, assaulting unsuspecting residents and holding them hostage for their own money, and demanding access to their crypto accounts.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
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To sustain her ruse, Suzanne discovers volumes of diaries written by the painter’s late wife.—
Ben Croll,
IndieWire,
12 May 2026
Noun
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Scott said Williamson never spoke directly with Becerra about the scheme.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
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Quantum threats target the mathematical structure of encryption schemes like RSA and ECC; vaulted tokenization removes that target by decoupling data from its representation.—
Ed Leavens,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Winston makes a cameo to execute another electric Ford Field trick play, and the Giants lose a close one with their offense starting to find a new gear.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
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Sophisticated as chatbots’ responses may be, they are stitched together from statistical patterns in large datasets—an impressive trick but one that still falls short of the breadth and reliability in human-level clinical reasoning.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gambit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambit. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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