gamesmanship
Americannoun
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the use of methods, especially in a sports contest, that are dubious or seemingly improper but not strictly illegal.
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the technique or practice of manipulating people or events so as to gain an advantage or outwit one's opponents or competitors.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gamesmanship
1945–50; game 1 + -s 3 + -manship, perhaps on the model of sportsmanship
Vocabulary lists containing gamesmanship
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.
Having clear documentation of a business’s value—and the value of the founder’s stake—before the marriage can reduce some of the valuation gamesmanship if a once-happy couple later become adversaries, divorce lawyers say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
All by itself, the computer combined the skills of a super grandmaster with the gamesmanship of a Washington Square Park hustler.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
That’s because the bottom two-thirds of the distribution is where we’d expect to see the bulk of earnings surprises that result from gamesmanship among companies and analysts.
From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026
After he pitched 2⅔ scoreless innings to win the game and the World Series championship for the Dodgers, the gamesmanship had been transformed into greatness, and the con man had become a hero.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2026
Maybe it was gamesmanship to try to throw me off, but it wasn’t working.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
