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
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
But what if all these works were more than just conceptual gambits?
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gambit
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
But what if all these works were more than just conceptual gambits?
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gambit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gambit
Noun
-
However, the latter is revealed to be a ruse on the part of the trickster god.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
6 May 2026
-
While sustaining the ruse for months, Ale arranged with an expectant young mother who didn’t want her child to take that woman’s newborn as her own.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Except this time, with a new head coach, new offensive and defensive schemes, new selflessness and trust in each other, the Knicks look better.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
-
In the grand scheme of things, that is the blink of a marmoset’s eye.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Many of his later programs have been capped by a coda in which the tricks of the trade are laid bare—no trick being more vital than that of extreme patience, with camera operators waiting days, or even weeks, for the right cub, or pup, or fledgling, or froglet, to show up.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
There is not a whole lot to chuckle about these days, and her column does the trick for me every week.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gambit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambit. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
