1
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
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2
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
3
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gimmick
But by tweaking this archetype again and again, Chan transforms a cheap gimmick into a complex ecosystem of life-forms.
—
Dawn Chan, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
This wasn’t a one-off gimmick or a quick joke.
—Ryan Brennan
april 24, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026
What sets this apart from a gimmick is the intentionality.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
Anna Širokova, a Rapid7 senior security researcher and the author of Tuesday’s post, said the use or claimed use of ML-KEM is likely just a branding gimmick and that implementing it required relatively little work by Kyber developers.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gimmick
Dawn Chan, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
This wasn’t a one-off gimmick or a quick joke.
—Ryan Brennan
april 24, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026
What sets this apart from a gimmick is the intentionality.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
Anna Širokova, a Rapid7 senior security researcher and the author of Tuesday’s post, said the use or claimed use of ML-KEM is likely just a branding gimmick and that implementing it required relatively little work by Kyber developers.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gimmick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gimmick
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
-
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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Best Travel Tech Deals Buying new travel tech doesn’t have to be expensive—Amazon has amazing deals on gadgets that are guaranteed to make your next trip easier.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Apr. 2026
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And Thomas could be a kickoff returner who plays sparingly as a gadget on offense.—
Kevin Fishbain,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Production on Michael wraps without a hitch…or so everyone thinks.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
25 Apr. 2026
-
We’re trained, maybe, to think that this is just one hitch in Sasha’s journey, but these dead ends keep popping up.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
23 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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That would mark the first withdrawal under this tool since February 2025, according to Bloomberg calculations based on the operation plan released late on Friday.—
Bloomberg,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Leavitt is still more a collection of tools than a finished product right now, but those tools have first-round upside, to be sure.—
Nick Baumgardner,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Police had been contacted by Thiamphanit's friends twice the day before her body was found, but the case was allegedly considered medium-risk, per The Times.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
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And as climate change is likely to cause more storms in the future, more people will be put at risk.—
Devika Rao,
TheWeek,
30 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
Noun
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While their experience shows the pitfalls of fighting against an unprecedented legal effort, this is also a story about the lengths a couple will go to fight for their love.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
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Then there are the strategic pitfalls posed by the way immigration court works, like the fact that a person only gets one bond hearing.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gimmick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gimmick. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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