gambit

gambit
American 

[gam-bit]
/ ;g;m b;t /
noun
Chess. an opening in which a player seeks to obtain some advantage by sacrificing a pawn or piece.

any maneuver by which one seeks to gain an advantage.

Synonyms:
ruse, scheme, stratagem, ploy
a remark made to open or redirect a conversation.

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gambit
British 
/ ;;;mb;t /
noun
chess an opening move in which a chessman, usually a pawn, is sacrificed to secure an advantageous position

an opening comment, manoeuvre, etc, intended to secure an advantage or promote a point of view

"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

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

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.

Saudi Arabia, which borders one of the regions seized by the STC separatists, appeared at first to accept the STC’s gambit to control more territory.

From Los Angeles Times

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So Badenoch's audacious gambit has made the question of the British right's future a question, in the immediate term, of Jenrick's future.

From BBC

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Presumably the gambit is to catch Mr. Powell for lying to Congress regarding the office renovations or scrounge for details in search of some other so far undetected offense.

From The Wall Street Journal

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But the gambit has faltered as the combined entity’s debt load has proved unsustainable.

From The Wall Street Journal

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The Oscars will be shown only on YouTube from 2029, the Academy said Wednesday, in a radical gambit for a movie industry that remains wary of streaming platforms even as viewing habits shift online.


***
Gam­bit, das

Bedeutung ;
Er;ffnung einer Partie mit einem Bauernopfer, durch die den eigenen Figuren schnell die Bahn zum Angriff geoeffnet werden soll


Herkunft ;
spanisch gambito < italienisch gambetto, eigentlich = das Beinstellen, zu: gamba, Gambe

In einem Arbeiter und Bauernstaat ist die Kollektievierung ein Synonym fuer Bauernopfer ...'' Wolf Biermann