as in ruses
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
I couldn't tell whether her earlier poor-mouthing had been sincere or just a gambit to get me to pick up the dinner check
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of gambits
But what if all these works were more than just conceptual gambits?
—
Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
But there is good reason to think that this time, his gambits may fail.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Prediction market users make their wartime gambits from someplace comfortable and safe, and hope to hit it big off of someone else's misfortune.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 7 Mar. 2026
In those earlier pictures, metaphysical conceits became visual and dramatic gambits as the filmmakers set out to colonize the vast interior worlds of, respectively, the mind and the spirit.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
But taken together, along with the cumulative weight of high-level diplomatic gambits to Beijing now underway — and many more on the horizon — something structural is happening that requires attention.
—Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
None of these actions require dramatic announcements or risky gambits.
—Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
At first blush, Rachel appears to be a mousy wallflower irritated by Marty’s fast-cash gambits.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026
Should the White House attempt further such gambits, a bipartisan rejection seems likely.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 25 Sep. 2025
Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
But there is good reason to think that this time, his gambits may fail.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Prediction market users make their wartime gambits from someplace comfortable and safe, and hope to hit it big off of someone else's misfortune.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 7 Mar. 2026
In those earlier pictures, metaphysical conceits became visual and dramatic gambits as the filmmakers set out to colonize the vast interior worlds of, respectively, the mind and the spirit.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
But taken together, along with the cumulative weight of high-level diplomatic gambits to Beijing now underway — and many more on the horizon — something structural is happening that requires attention.
—Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
None of these actions require dramatic announcements or risky gambits.
—Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
At first blush, Rachel appears to be a mousy wallflower irritated by Marty’s fast-cash gambits.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026
Should the White House attempt further such gambits, a bipartisan rejection seems likely.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gambits
Noun
-
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
-
Many suspect a spam call and don't pick up the phone, leading foundation staff to sometimes devise ruses.—
Kelly Meyerhofer,
jsonline.com,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Madigan, meanwhile, was convicted in a separate trial of an array of schemes that included the ComEd bribery payments.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
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Butterfly Jam revolves around a teenager growing up in New Jersey’s Circassian community, with dreams of becoming a wrestler, whose life takes an unexpected turn when one of his father’s misguided schemes goes wrong.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Other options, such as red light therapy caps, are non-invasive devices that use low-level light therapy to stimulate hair follicles and increase density.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Reviewing those can determine if more specific devices are covered by Cinch’s plans.—
Caroline Ernst,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Payment processors grew suspicious despite Cotter’s tricks, and by 2020 the US Postal Inspection Service had launched an investigation.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
13 Apr. 2026
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The mother-daughter duo coordinated in shades of cream and brown, with Charlotte even borrowing some of her mom's styling tricks (both wore the British brand Self-Portrait, for example).—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gambits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambits. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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