1
a
: a mechanical device for secretly and dishonestly controlling gambling apparatus
b
: an ingenious or novel mechanical device : gadget
2
a
: an important feature that is not immediately apparent : catch
… few readers would look for a gimmick in an advertisement featuring airline schedules, but few would fail to look for the fine print in an ad announcing New Low-Price Fares.—
Robert L. Heilbroner
Robert L. Heilbroner
b
: an ingenious and usually new scheme or angle
Even in professional careers, mere competence and craftsmanship is no substitute for a gimmick.—James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik
c
: a trick or device used to attract business or attention
a marketing gimmick
gimmicked; gimmicking; gimmicks
Synonyms
Examples of gimmick in a Sentence
Noun
The proposal to cut taxes was just an election gimmick to win votes.
that free dinner is just a sales gimmick to get you to listen to their sales pitch
Recent Examples on the WebPCMAG, 27 Mar. 2024
Wickedness rules in today’s film culture, such that Glazer can re-create Auschwitz as a sci-fi gimmick.
—Armond White, National Review, 20 Mar. 2024
Producer and director William Castle was known for his gimmicks, and this movie has a good one: Emergo, in which a skeleton on a string flies over the audience’s heads during a key scene.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2024
The show, about an hour long, whizzed by in a trance of mostly midtempo rockers without gimmicks.
—Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
But its execution, at least in this version (primarily written by Nicole Taylor), makes the time-skipping gimmick feel more like a bug than a feature.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2024
Although a bottle of wine boxed with a crystal spoon can seem like a bit of a gimmick, the viscosity makes sipping from a spoon rather than a glass a much more efficient means of imbibing with minimal loss.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 6 Feb. 2024
And the gimmick of naming each episode other than the first after a member of the family adds little, because the POV only slightly shifts towards that person.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024
The look of the new film, though undeniably pretty and suited to the antique flavor of the sometimes soapy story, here seems like more of a gimmick.
—Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Katie Bain, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2024
Mainline Mario games are often defined by a novel central mechanic, or gimmick, with the more effective ones unlocking a fresh angle on the franchise and the platformer as a genre.
—Keep Mario Weird, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2023
Soon, promoters added drag races, small jumps, and gimmicks like tug-of-war.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2023
Eyes on 2024: Fundraising gimmicks galore Two GOP presidential hopefuls are deploying an unusual fundraising tactic: giving their donors cold, hard cash.
—Chuck Todd, NBC News, 11 July 2023
Pat Brown gimmicked the accounting system to escape raising taxes again before Republican Ronald Reagan ousted him in 1966.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2020
Noun
Those services have gimmicks that also affect pricing.
—PCMAG, 27 Mar. 2024
Wickedness rules in today’s film culture, such that Glazer can re-create Auschwitz as a sci-fi gimmick.
—Armond White, National Review, 20 Mar. 2024
Producer and director William Castle was known for his gimmicks, and this movie has a good one: Emergo, in which a skeleton on a string flies over the audience’s heads during a key scene.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2024
The show, about an hour long, whizzed by in a trance of mostly midtempo rockers without gimmicks.
—Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
But its execution, at least in this version (primarily written by Nicole Taylor), makes the time-skipping gimmick feel more like a bug than a feature.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2024
Although a bottle of wine boxed with a crystal spoon can seem like a bit of a gimmick, the viscosity makes sipping from a spoon rather than a glass a much more efficient means of imbibing with minimal loss.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 6 Feb. 2024
And the gimmick of naming each episode other than the first after a member of the family adds little, because the POV only slightly shifts towards that person.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024
The look of the new film, though undeniably pretty and suited to the antique flavor of the sometimes soapy story, here seems like more of a gimmick.
—Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Verb
With limited announce to release timelines, the goal for this rollout was music first, gimmick last.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2024
Mainline Mario games are often defined by a novel central mechanic, or gimmick, with the more effective ones unlocking a fresh angle on the franchise and the platformer as a genre.
—Keep Mario Weird, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2023
Soon, promoters added drag races, small jumps, and gimmicks like tug-of-war.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2023
Eyes on 2024: Fundraising gimmicks galore Two GOP presidential hopefuls are deploying an unusual fundraising tactic: giving their donors cold, hard cash.
—Chuck Todd, NBC News, 11 July 2023
Pat Brown gimmicked the accounting system to escape raising taxes again before Republican Ronald Reagan ousted him in 1966.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gimmick.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near gimmick
Cite this Entry
“Gimmick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gimmick. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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