gimmick

American  

[gim-ik] / ˈgɪm ɪk /

noun

1. an ingenious or novel device, scheme, or stratagem, especially one designed to attract attention or increase appeal.

   Synonyms:

   angle, ploy, ruse, plan, stunt

2. a concealed, usually devious aspect or feature of something, as a plan or deal.

   An offer that good must have a gimmick in it somewhere.

3. a hidden mechanical device by which a magician works a trick or a gambler controls a game of chance.

4. Electronics Informal. a capacitor formed by intertwining two insulated wires.

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verb (used with object)

1. to equip or embellish with unnecessary features, especially in order to increase salability, acceptance, etc. (often followed byup ).

   to gimmick up a sports car with chrome and racing stripes.

verb (used without object)

1. to resort to gimmickry, especially habitually.

gimmick British  

/ ˈɡɪmɪk /

noun

1. something designed to attract extra attention, interest, or publicity

2. any clever device, gadget, or stratagem, esp one used to deceive

3. a device or trick of legerdemain that enables a magician to deceive the audience

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Other Word Forms

• gimmicker noun
• gimmickry noun
• gimmicky adjective
• ungimmicky adjective

Etymology

Origin of gimmick

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; origin uncertain

Explanation

A gimmick is a trick intended to attract attention. If you lure crowds to your bake sale by having popular football players handing out samples in front of your booth, that’s a gimmick. A gimmick is often used by businesses to sell a product. As a sales gimmick, your local bank might offer free microwave ovens to people who open new savings accounts. A TV show may air a live episode as a gimmick to get people to watch the show. The word sometimes has a slightly negative connotation — there’s often some flashy trickery involved in a gimmick and it doesn’t always add value to what’s being sold.

Example Sentences

Millar said the NHS was in "crisis" with people "dying needlessly" - he denied that his call for a "national health emergency" was a gimmick.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Not as a gimmick to please the King.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

But serious kudos to Kalshi for this marketing gimmick.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

“Just like ‘Avatar,’” Mabel notes, as if to emphasize that the gimmick isn’t exactly fresh.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

And, by an unforeseeable paradox, it was my career in the church that turned out, precisely, to be my gimmick.

From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin

Related Words

• artifice
• device
• fun
• gadget
• gizmo
• instrument
• maneuver
• method
• ploy
• ruse
• stratagem
• stunt
• trick