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
-
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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Critics, however, have questioned the administration’s motives behind the new division given that fraud was already prosecuted by the agency’s Criminal Division, which last year announced the largest coordinated takedown of healthcare fraud schemes in Justice Department history.—
Alanna Durkin Richer,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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With no one coming to save him, Santi learned to save himself — cheating cards, running schemes, talking his way into and out of everything.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
8 June 2026
Noun
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Prinano said its technology supports wafer-level production of photonic chips and can be applied to optical communication and sensing devices based on gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, and silicon photonics.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
11 June 2026
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Spending on mental wellness has accelerated faster than the evidence base, encompassing everything from spa retreats to brain supplements, smartphone apps, and at-home devices.—
Melinda Fulmer,
Robb Report,
11 June 2026
Noun
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Pink started things literally inverted, with one of her famous aerial tricks to begin her opening number.—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
8 June 2026
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Here are four tricks for keeping your parked car cooler during the summer.—
Molly Burford,
Southern Living,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gambits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambits. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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