gambit
Other forms: gambits
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.
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a chess move early in the game in which the player sacrifices minor pieces in order to obtain an advantageous positiontype of:chess movethe act of moving a chess piece
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a strategic maneuver
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an opening remark intended to secure an advantage for the speaker
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gambit / gamut
Vocabulary lists containing gambit
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