"Ambit" is a semi-common word.

And it's quite formal. You definitely don't see it every day. So, you can choose it over more familiar synonyms like "scope," "field," "sphere," or "range" when you want to call extra attention to your idea, or make it sound formal and sophisticated.

You might talk about the ambit of some particular art, industry, college, political party, etc. For example: "the ambit of this law," "the ambit of public education," "the ambit of Netflix," "the ambit of scientific rigor," "the ambit of social media."

Or, you might talk about the ambit of a person, meaning the entire social circle they inhabit or the entire portion of the population that they interact with. That is, the people within your ambit are your friends, family members, neighbors, acquaintances, colleagues, and anyone else you communicate with.

More specifically, you might talk about someone's ambit growing or shrinking, or about things or people who enter or exit someone's ambit.  "He entered Taylor Swift's ambit last year." "She seems to have drifted out of Ellen DeGeneres's ambit."

Or, talk about someone who brings something into or out of a certain ambit. Here's the Guardian: "Rothenberg... has specialised in bringing natural sounds – bird and whale song – into the ambit of jazz."

"[Milton Hershey] restricted his beneficence to a very local ambit. The Hershey School specifically gives priority to at-need children who live in Dauphin County."
   — Michael Lindgren, The Washington Post, 31 March 2018

"Their eyes will not meet. They will pass each other by like shadows, briefly sharing the same hazardous ambit: the itinerant theatre of Paris."
   — Roberto Bolaño, The New Yorker, 15 January 2012

has this page helped you understand "ambit"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "ambit" without saying "range" or "bailiwick."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) grew up in the ambit of (some interesting, famous, or influential person)."

Example: "The show Claim to Fame features contestants who grew up in the ambit of a famous family member."

Example 2: "This novelized portrait of Huisman's mother captures the life of a charismatic, unstable and exasperating woman — as well as the experience of growing up in her ambit."
   — Staff, New York Times, 23 December 2021

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "The Words are Hard, the Titles are Silly, and the Points Don't Matter!"

In each issue, try matching a given term to a silly title. For example, match the term “desultory” to the video game title “If It Moves, Shoot It!” because desultory methods are random, disorganized, and unmethodical. 

If you need a definition for a term, give it a click. Scroll all the way down to see my suggested matches. Give yourself a point for each match you make that matches my match! And give yourself two points for any match that mismatches mine, as long as you can make up some reason for your match, no matter how half-baked.

Try these today:

Terms:
     A. enigmatic
     B. jouissance
     C. unparalleled

Titles of songs:
     1. Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over
     2. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm
     3. Thanks for the Killer Game of Crisco Twister

review this word:

1. Something outside of your AMBIT is

A. unknown or inaccessible to you.
B. not part of your job description.
C. invisible to you, until you pivot enough to see it.

2. The founders of the bank Ambit Capital may have chosen the name to connote an image of _____ power and influence.

A. wise
B. prosocial
C. widespread

Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. C Suggested matches for the game: A. enigmatic & Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm B. jouissance & Thanks for the Killer Game of Crisco Twister C. unparalleled & Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.