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 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
At first blush, Rachel appears to be a mousy wallflower irritated by Marty’s fast-cash gambits.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026
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
At first blush, Rachel appears to be a mousy wallflower irritated by Marty’s fast-cash gambits.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gambits
Noun
-
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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Shakespeare’s comedies especially understand the joy of watching people get trapped in schemes and plots well beyond their control.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
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State regulators have suspended hundreds of hospice licenses amid allegations of fraudulent billing and phantom patient schemes.—
Sally Pipes,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
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The sources described it as a preliminary operation laying the groundwork for additional steps by installing listening devices and intelligence equipment in the area.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
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That treatment gap is reviving interest in experimental blood-filtering devices that can physically remove viral particles from the bloodstream.—
Elie Dolgin,
IEEE Spectrum,
4 June 2026
Noun
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In the middle, a Cartman in the role of a Midtown tax adviser dispenses accounting tips and tricks, culled from a YouTube account run by a real-life New York CPA.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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That makes many older attack tricks harder to pull off.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gambits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambits. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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