Thesaurus results for GIMMICK

gimmick

noun

ˈgi-mik

Definition of gimmick

as in ruse

a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end that free dinner is just a sales gimmick to get you to listen to their sales pitch

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in gadget

an interesting and often novel device with a practical use a car equipped with a parking spot locator and other neat gimmicks

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in hitch

a danger or difficulty that is hidden or not easily recognized the deal sounds too good to be true, so make sure there aren't any gimmicks

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 gimmick Musk, for example, funded a $1 million-a-day giveaway through America PAC that election cycle to encourage swing-state residents to register voters, including in Pennsylvania, providing winners with giant gimmick checks. — Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 30 July 2026 Many employers double down on rigid return-to-office rules, surveillance and gimmicks, even as workers fight back with coffee badging, ghost bookings and other quiet rebellions. — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026 Adam Voith, Vernon’s former booking agent and part of an unofficial group of inner-circle advisors, says that, despite its vaudevillian vibes, this one-night-only thing wasn’t a marketing gimmick. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026 Imagine, for example, a bot tasked with reducing the federal deficit that institutes an elaborate and hard-to-detect accounting gimmick, or a customer-service agent that issues absurd discounts in pursuit of customer-satisfaction ratings. — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for gimmick

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gimmick

Noun

Patterson was accused of pretending to eat the same portion, and of feigning illness in an elaborate ruse to suggest she’d also been poisoned.

— Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
The band member responsible for the ruse was their late drummer, Jon Brookes.

— Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of ruse

Noun

Organized crime operations from several cities, including Chicago, New York and Detroit, had established control of casinos up and down the Vegas Strip and devised schemes to skim percentages of the cash under the noses of state regulators.

— Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
With Clark next to him in the 3-4 scheme, Williams flashed his strength and short-area quickness from the defensive interior each day in practice while battling against Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker.

— Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of scheme

Noun

Tubes from hospital equipment were still attached to his face, gunshot wounds on his right side were still gaping, and tattoos which included a gun and a bullet casing were still embedded in his skin, a permanent memorial to the tools of his demise.

— Andy Rose, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
Their choices were tools that understand their work and keep them in control.

— Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of tool

Noun

Nonetheless, the costs of intercepting incoming munitions could prove particularly high if targets are engaged over populated areas, with drones, defensive munitions and falling debris all posing risks to people and property on the ground.

— David Brennan, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026
When used alone after surgery to reduce the risk that melanoma returns, Keytruda is given every three to six weeks for up to a year.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of risk

Noun

Messi was instrumental in Argentina’s route to the final, opening his World Cup with a hat-trick against Algeria and scoring in each of his team’s matches up to and including the round of 16.

— Cerys Jones, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
The key manufacturing trick was direct ink writing, a form of 3D printing.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of trick

Browse Nearby Words

gimmes

gimmick

gimmicked (up)

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Gimmick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gimmick. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of gimmick

noun

Example Sentences

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