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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gambits
In fact, the opening two gambits were superb as Federer had to fend off a youthful Nick Kyrgios to clinch the inaugural 2017 version, while Team World pushed Europe all the way in Chicago a year later.
—
Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Unfortunately, few of Holland’s other gambits pay off.
—Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Unfortunately, few of Holland’s other gambits pay off.
—Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gambits
Noun
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Episode 4 finds both Ellen and Julia throwing themselves headlong into plans that require them to keep up major ruses.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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What begins as a professional pairing soon spirals into a tangled web of romance, rivalry, and manipulation, with seasoned producer Freddy Sodawallah (Manish Chaudhari) and fading actor Jaraj Saxena (Rajat Bedi) adding their own schemes into the mix.—
Isadora Wandermurem,
Time,
18 Sep. 2025
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Part of sale to pay restitution In 2018, McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison for engaging in several fraudulent schemes related to Fyre Festival, including defrauding investors out of $26 million and more than $100,000 in fraudulent ticket-selling schemes.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Authorities were seeking several items, including digital devices that would have security recording or would connect the teen to the location.—
Andrew Blankstein,
NBC news,
19 Sep. 2025
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Kong said this soft approach helps address risks such as ulcers, puncture injuries, and inflammation, which are often linked to rigid devices inside the body.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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On Thursday, Stubblebine hinted to me that the company might have some AI tricks up its sleeve.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Scientists and doctors, as well as mediums and theologians, carried out numerous experiments and parlour tricks to establish a relationship between spirit and matter.—
Leah Hudson,
Popular Science,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gambits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambits. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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