gimmick
an ingenious or novel device, scheme, or stratagem, especially one designed to attract attention or increase appeal.
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.
a hidden mechanical device by which a magician works a trick or a gambler controls a game of chance.
Electronics Informal. a capacitor formed by intertwining two insulated wires.
to equip or embellish with unnecessary features, especially in order to increase salability, acceptance, etc. (often followed by up): to gimmick up a sports car with chrome and racing stripes.
to resort to gimmickry, especially habitually.
Origin of gimmick
1Other words for gimmick
Other words from gimmick
- gim·mick·er, noun
- gim·mick·y, adjective
- un·gim·mick·y, adjective
Words Nearby gimmick
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use gimmick in a sentence
The best magic is not about a clever gimmick but telling a really good story.
Al Cohen, D.C. magic shop proprietor who knew all the tricks, dies at 94 | Matt Schudel | December 18, 2020 | Washington PostI’m not in favor of a regional transportation plan that’s filled with gimmicks and somehow manages to maintain the status quo.
North County Report: Blakespear Lays Out SANDAG Goals | Kayla Jimenez | December 10, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoOnce considered a collegiate gimmick that hid some quarterback weaknesses, the offense has recently produced a bevy of NFL starters, including Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff.
Tyreek Hill once thought Patrick Mahomes was ‘trash.’ Now they’re the NFL’s deadliest duo. | Cindy Boren, Neil Greenberg | December 3, 2020 | Washington PostPart of the selling point, beyond just the gimmick of the hologram’s next-level verisimilitude, is its interactivity.
PORTL Hologram raises $3M to put a hologram machine in every home | Jonathan Shieber | October 30, 2020 | TechCrunchThe messaging company has implemented a couple of internal automated games and gimmicks, like a bot that reminds people twice a day to check in on a game called Animal Crossing, fostering connections between employees.
‘Integrators’ and ‘separators’: How managers are helping the two types of remote workers survive the pandemic | Jen Wieczner | September 16, 2020 | Fortune
Critics praised his crooning, even if they regarded it little more than a gimmick.
Future Makes Us Rethink Everything We Thought We Knew About Rap Artists | Luke Hopping | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAll joking aside, what was once considered an expensive gimmick is on the verge of going mainstream.
Welcome to Oculus XXX: In-Your-Face 3D is the Future of Porn | Aurora Snow | October 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe old showbiz saying is “you gotta have a gimmick,” and Minaj has wisely gotten a few.
Nicki Minaj’s Ass-tastic ‘Anaconda’ Video and the Curse of the Butt Career | Kevin Fallon | August 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut, beyond all that, she has made her butt her biggest gimmick.
Nicki Minaj’s Ass-tastic ‘Anaconda’ Video and the Curse of the Butt Career | Kevin Fallon | August 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTDaylyt downplayed the gimmick, later claiming on Twitter that it was his way of saying he was finished with battle rap.
It's the gimmick that makes rich Spaniards fuel and hide submarines in the Caribbean—you know that for a fact yourself.
The Five Arrows | Allan ChaseEveryone had a little sideline, a gimmick, to put one over on whoever was gullible enough to swallow it.
The House from Nowhere | Arthur G. StanglandI nodded, looking for the gimmick that made this a paying proposition for good old Tangiers Mutual.
The Risk Profession | Donald Edwin WestlakeYou're going to keep up with me, drink for drink, until I can eyeprint that gimmick of yours—or else I stop drinking.
The Ego Machine | Henry KuttnerThis gimmick makes it possible for citizens to raise and decide issues directly.
The Variable Man | Philip K. Dick
British Dictionary definitions for gimmick
/ (ˈɡɪmɪk) /
something designed to attract extra attention, interest, or publicity
any clever device, gadget, or stratagem, esp one used to deceive
mainly US a device or trick of legerdemain that enables a magician to deceive the audience
Origin of gimmick
1Derived forms of gimmick
- gimmickry, noun
- gimmicky, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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