gimmick

American  

[gim-ik] / ˈgɪm ɪk /

noun

• gimmicks
  plural

1. an ingenious or novel device, scheme, or stratagem, especially one designed to attract attention or increase appeal.

   Synonyms:

   angle, ploy, ruse, plan, stunt

2. a concealed, usually devious aspect or feature of something, as a plan or deal.

   An offer that good must have a gimmick in it somewhere.

3. a hidden mechanical device by which a magician works a trick or a gambler controls a game of chance.

4. Electronics Informal. a capacitor formed by intertwining two insulated wires.

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verb (used with object)

1. to equip or embellish with unnecessary features, especially in order to increase salability, acceptance, etc. (often followed byup ).

   to gimmick up a sports car with chrome and racing stripes.

verb (used without object)

1. to resort to gimmickry, especially habitually.

gimmick British  

/ ˈɡɪmɪk /

noun

1. something designed to attract extra attention, interest, or publicity

2. any clever device, gadget, or stratagem, esp one used to deceive

3. a device or trick of legerdemain that enables a magician to deceive the audience

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gimmicker
  noun
• gimmickry
  noun
• gimmicky
  adjective
• ungimmicky
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• gimmicks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gimmick

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; origin uncertain

Explanation

A gimmick is a trick intended to attract attention. If you lure crowds to your bake sale by having popular football players handing out samples in front of your booth, that’s a gimmick. A gimmick is often used by businesses to sell a product. As a sales gimmick, your local bank might offer free microwave ovens to people who open new savings accounts. A TV show may air a live episode as a gimmick to get people to watch the show. The word sometimes has a slightly negative connotation — there’s often some flashy trickery involved in a gimmick and it doesn’t always add value to what’s being sold.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gimmick gimmicks

While a luminescent product may seem a bit of a gimmick, ice cream is a serious business and innovation is crucial to staying ahead of the game.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

First erected in the early 1960s as an advertising gimmick, these giants are rising again thanks to preservationists, kitsch aficionados and savvy entrepreneurs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

"If this is a gimmick, it's been a gimmick that's been lasting for over 2,000 years at this point," he said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Read more: New ‘Ex-Elon’ ETFs let you avoid SpaceX and Tesla — but are they just a gimmick?

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

The idea at the research lab in Workingham was something of a gimmick, a “media event” designed to show some of the emerging research.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Were they generating enough revenue to justify the expense or were they just fun gimmicks for customers to play around with?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Ceremonies deemed to be "gimmicks" that risk trivialising the legal act of marriage would not be allowed.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

“They’re gimmicks, and the Supreme Court is not usually impressed by gimmicks.”

From Salon ● May 28, 2026

Of all the major sports, baseball boasts the one All-Star Game that has largely resisted gimmicks, but then again last year’s game ended with a home run derby.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

The story was so logically laid out, without the gimmicks of Penguin Island.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Related Words

• artifice
• device
• fun
• gadget
• gizmo
• instrument
• maneuver
• method
• ploy
• ruse
• stratagem
• stunt
• trick