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

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

The major gimmick is to trot out surprise Marvel characters for applause moments, like guest stars blowing air kisses to the crowd on a variety show.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 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: New ‘Ex-Elon’ ETFs let you avoid SpaceX and Tesla — but are they just a gimmick?

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

And, by an unforeseeable paradox, it was my career in the church that turned out, precisely, to be my gimmick.

From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin

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

He has it bookmarked, and refers to it during his own process as a reminder not to get carried away with fancy gimmicks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

In an entertainment industry that rewards cheap gimmicks and surface-level solidarity with marginalized people, JOP’s cutting realness is a cornerstone of his identity as an artist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2026

Reilly must have smuggled the pirate gimmicks out of the garage the afternoon before.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Related Words

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