gambit

CEFRC2

/ˈɡæmbɪt/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    An action or plan used to gain an advantage.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A remark intended to open a conversation.

Examples

  • Her gambit to delay the meeting failed.

  • His opening gambit in the negotiation was very clever.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
2

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Any ploy or stratagem.

  2. An opening in chess in which material is sacrificed to gain an advantage.

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To sacrifice (a pawn or minor piece) to gain an advantage.

More examples

In context

  • The chess player opened with a clever gambit.

  • Her clever gambit gave her an advantage.

  • Their promise to lower taxes is clearly an election-year gambit.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

In chess, a blank is an opening move that sacrifices a piece for advantage.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Borrowed from Italian gambetto (“act of tripping; gambit”), from gamba (“leg”) + -etto (diminutive suffix). First attested in 1656.