Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An opening in chess in which the player risks one or more minor pieces, usually a pawn, in order to gain a favorable position.
  • noun A maneuver, stratagem, or opening remark, especially one intended to bring about a desired result.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In chess-playing, an opening in which a pawn or a piece is sacrificed, or at least offered, for the sake of, or with the object of obtaining, an advantageous attack.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Chess Playing) A mode of opening the game, in which a pawn is sacrificed to gain an attacking position.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An opening in chess, in which a minor piece (often a pawn) is sacrificed to gain an advantage.
  • noun Any ploy or stratagem.
  • noun A remark intended to open a conversation.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a maneuver in a game or conversation
  • noun a chess move early in the game in which the player sacrifices minor pieces in order to obtain an advantageous position
  • noun an opening remark intended to secure an advantage for the speaker

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Ultimately from Spanish gambito, from Italian gambetto, act of tripping someone up in wrestling, from gamba, leg, from Old Italian; see gambol.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French, from Spanish gambito, from Italian gambetto, from gamba ("leg"), from Latin gamba ("calf").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word gambit.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • A chess opening where you sacrifice material, typically a pawn, for speed and position.

    February 21, 2007