noun
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chess an opening move in which a chessman, usually a pawn, is sacrificed to secure an advantageous position
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an opening comment, manoeuvre, etc, intended to secure an advantage or promote a point of view
Etymology
Origin of gambit
1650–60; < French < Spanish gambito or Italian gambetto (akin to Old French gambet, jambet ), equivalent to gamb ( a ) leg + -etta -et
Explanation
A gambit is a strategic move, often in chess but also in politics or business, where a player sacrifices something up front for future gain. The noun gambit comes from an Italian word, gambetto, which means “tripping up.” When you make an opening move, offer something, or start a conversation with something that seems self-sacrificing but is really a ploy for greater advantage in the long run, that's a gambit. In chess, a gambit is when you sacrifice a pawn early for better positioning. When you offer to drive the morning carpool, that might be a gambit to get the afternoon shift off.
Vocabulary lists containing gambit
Check It Out, Mate: Chess Vocabulary
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And Then There Were None
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Hidden Figures
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The trailer showed a fight between Gambit and Shang-Chi, played by Channing Tatum and Simu Liu respectively, and Patrick Stewart reprising his role as X-Men's Professor Xavier.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
The trailer also shows a glimpse of The Queen's Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy, who will be joining the star-studded cast as Atreides' sister Alia.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
“We have banned the accounts used by this adversary and value the outreach from Gambit Security.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026
And on Wednesday, cybersecurity firm Gambit Security revealed that roughly 150 gigabytes of data were stolen from 10 Mexican government bodies and a single financial institution by a hacker using Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026
Black's best defence in the King's Knight's Gambit is to play 4.
From Hoyle's Games Modernized by Hoffmann, Louis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
