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
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Recent Examples of gambits
The international tourist trade — a key source of Hollywood foot traffic — had a tough 2025 amid the fires and Trump’s foreign and trade policy gambits.
—
Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2026
The Texas and California gambits were the first moves in an elaborate game of gerrymandering chess between the White House and Jeffries.
—Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Everything in the movie, from the chomping shark attacks that churn up the waves with Hawaiian Punch foam to the way a humongous great white meets her fate at the end, takes an obvious page from Steven Spielberg’s gambits and techniques.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026
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
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
Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2026
The Texas and California gambits were the first moves in an elaborate game of gerrymandering chess between the White House and Jeffries.
—Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Everything in the movie, from the chomping shark attacks that churn up the waves with Hawaiian Punch foam to the way a humongous great white meets her fate at the end, takes an obvious page from Steven Spielberg’s gambits and techniques.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gambits
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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Kids will quickly see through her ruses.—
Elise Broach,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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According to the police report, a woman also reportedly claimed to be a victim of one of Chen's check-cashing schemes, alleging that she was scammed out of $40,000 after Chen wrote her bad checks from a man's account, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
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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,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
The Big Think website has been optimized to work with all major browsers and devices.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
18 June 2026
-
Numerous guests were reportedly secured in harnesses and fall protection and then transitioned onto aerial devices.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
Noun
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One of my nerdiest hip-hop fan instincts is trying to catch the subtle ways production tricks and flows migrate from one city to the next, like an invasive species.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
16 June 2026
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One of his greatest joys was performing magic tricks alongside his granddaughter.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gambits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambits. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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