gamesmanship

noun

games·​man·​ship ˈgāmz-mən-ˌship How to pronounce gamesmanship (audio)
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

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 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 Tucker characterized the incident as a bit of gamesmanship between the two teams. Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024 The dizzying legal gamesmanship reflects the unique nature of a case that has swept up a former president, a number of relatively obscure Georgia Republican activists, a former publicist for Kanye West and lawyer-defendants of varying prominence. Danny Hakim, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023 The game was filled with big hits, electric plays and even a bit of gamesmanship for those on the field. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2024

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.

Word History

Etymology

games, plural of game entry 1 + -manship (after sportsmanship)

Note: A word popularized and probably originated in this sense by the British author Stephen Potter (1900-69) in The Theory and Practice of Gamesmanship (1947).

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gamesmanship was in 1947

Dictionary Entries Near gamesmanship

Cite this Entry

“Gamesmanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamesmanship. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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