gamesmanship
noun
games·man·ship
ˈgāmz-mən-ˌship 
1
: the art or practice of winning games by questionable expedients without actually violating the rules
2
: the use of ethically dubious methods to gain an objective
Synonyms
Examples of gamesmanship in a Sentence
They blur the line between gamesmanship and cheating.
that author doesn't go in for literary gamesmanship, so the reader is never led astray by the novel's narrator
Recent Examples on the Web
And if Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta try to point it out before Manchester City faces Arsenal on Sunday, it will be viewed as gamesmanship, or deflection, or unapologetic sophistry.
—
Rory Smith, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
The team gets a stroke of luck in the early rounds, earning a bye when tournament favorites South Africa see their arrival delayed by passport issues, though there’s no prize for guessing that sportsmanship will trump gamesmanship in the long run.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce vs. Justin Tucker There's some early gamesmanship going on during pregame warm-ups in Baltimore.
—Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2024
In a statement, the top lawmakers said House Republicans would prioritize Kansans over political gamesmanship but did not detail the form that would take.
—Katie Bernard, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2024
Then there was some snarky gamesmanship between the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce against Ravens kicker Justin Tucker.
—Bob McManaman, The Arizona Republic, 29 Jan. 2024
Either gamesmanship knows no bounds, or the Niners’ top decision-makers don’t know who will play on Sunday.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
This is a towering achievement, combining an intimate character study with large-canvas exploration of scientific obsession, American exceptionalism and political gamesmanship, while also demonstrating that movies tackling knotty subjects don’t need to be dumbed down to draw a rapt audience.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024
Following the Colorado ruling, the efforts to disqualify Trump from the ballot in California are not just parisian gamesmanship, but outright dangerous.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Dec. 2023
Rory Smith, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
The team gets a stroke of luck in the early rounds, earning a bye when tournament favorites South Africa see their arrival delayed by passport issues, though there’s no prize for guessing that sportsmanship will trump gamesmanship in the long run.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce vs. Justin Tucker There's some early gamesmanship going on during pregame warm-ups in Baltimore.
—Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2024
In a statement, the top lawmakers said House Republicans would prioritize Kansans over political gamesmanship but did not detail the form that would take.
—Katie Bernard, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2024
Then there was some snarky gamesmanship between the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce against Ravens kicker Justin Tucker.
—Bob McManaman, The Arizona Republic, 29 Jan. 2024
Either gamesmanship knows no bounds, or the Niners’ top decision-makers don’t know who will play on Sunday.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
This is a towering achievement, combining an intimate character study with large-canvas exploration of scientific obsession, American exceptionalism and political gamesmanship, while also demonstrating that movies tackling knotty subjects don’t need to be dumbed down to draw a rapt audience.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024
Following the Colorado ruling, the efforts to disqualify Trump from the ballot in California are not just parisian gamesmanship, but outright dangerous.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gamesmanship.' 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 gamesmanship
Cite this Entry
“Gamesmanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamesmanship. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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