as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
The seemingly benign questioning was all just a gambit to get them to fess up to their wrongdoing.
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Recent Examples of gambit
This risky gambit signals that his prospects for higher office are evaporating fast.
—
Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026
This gambit seems disingenuous, given that Pritzker has pointed out that Congress is dysfunctional.
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
But what if all these works were more than just conceptual gambits?
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
For a party struggling to grasp levers of power, the gambit shone a damning, bright spotlight on a controversial and politically complex issue for the GOP for more than a month.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gambit
Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026
This gambit seems disingenuous, given that Pritzker has pointed out that Congress is dysfunctional.
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
But what if all these works were more than just conceptual gambits?
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
For a party struggling to grasp levers of power, the gambit shone a damning, bright spotlight on a controversial and politically complex issue for the GOP for more than a month.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gambit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gambit
Noun
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Operation Mincemeat was such a successful ruse that even after the Allies’ arrival, German forces continued to leave the island for Greece or Sardinia, still certain that Sicily was just a diversion.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
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Ultimately, the report states, the video call was a ruse, falsely portraying the child as safe and in the care of a non-relative in California.—
S.E. Jenkins,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Depth chart impact Hunter has scheme versatility, but most analysts project him as a nose tackle, where Bobby Brown is the Panthers’ incumbent.—
Tobias Bass,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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This new court filing is a transparent forum-shopping tactic in their scheme to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars from Michael’s estate and companies.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Lemon was also the Trojans’ primary return man during his sophomore and junior seasons and was even used on a trick play against Oregon this season that resulted in a 24-yard touchdown pass to then-freshman Tanook Hines.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
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The trio of Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm and Geekie can be trick-or-treat and Sturm was well aware of that when the series began.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gambit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambit. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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