jockey
Americannoun
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a person who rides horses professionally in races.
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Informal. a person who pilots, operates, or guides the movement of something, as an airplane or automobile.
verb (used with object)
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to ride (a horse) as a jockey.
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Informal. to operate or guide the movement of; pilot; drive.
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to move, bring, put, etc., by skillful maneuvering.
The movers jockeyed the sofa through the door.
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to trick or cheat.
The salesman jockeyed them into buying an expensive car.
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to manipulate cleverly or trickily.
He jockeyed himself into office.
verb (used without object)
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to aim at an advantage by skillful maneuvering.
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to act trickily; seek an advantage by trickery.
noun
verb
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(tr) to ride (a horse) in a race
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(intr) to ride as a jockey
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to try to obtain an advantage by manoeuvring, esp literally in a race or metaphorically, as in a struggle for power (esp in the phrase jockey for position )
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to trick or cheat (a person)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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jockeysimple
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jockeyssimple
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have jockeyedperfect
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has jockeyedperfect
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am jockeyingprogressive
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are jockeyingprogressive
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is jockeyingprogressive
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have been jockeyingperfect progressive
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has been jockeyingperfect progressive
Past
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jockeyedsimple
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had jockeyedperfect
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was jockeyingprogressive
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were jockeyingprogressive
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had been jockeyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of jockey
First recorded in 1520–30 for an earlier sense; special use of Jock + -ey 2
Explanation
During a horse race, the riders are called jockeys. Being a jockey is an excellent career choice for someone small. Jockeys, usually male, are always small people, weighing less than 120 pounds and generally standing no more than five feet five inches tall. This keeps the horses' total weight light, allowing them to run faster. When jockey is used as a verb, it means "to struggle or compete," like when politicians jockey for dominance or kids jockey to be the first in line for a bouncy house. Jockey was originally a Scottish word for "boy."
Vocabulary lists containing jockey
Horsin' Around
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Born a Crime
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Dear Martin
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Italian jockey only recently resumed riding a few weeks ago after missing five months because of a fall in January at Gulfstream Park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
What a particular jockey, for example, sees along the back stretch at the Kentucky Derby—a gap along the rail to make his move—is what you see.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
In a tribute on Monday, her commanding officer described her as "a bright light in any room she entered" and "an immensely professional solider and an exceptional jockey".
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
Even So Happy’s jockey, 60-year-old Mike Smith, who has more Derby experience than any other rider, including two wins, struggled to explain what a victory would mean.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2026
Track officials viewed any effort to create funds for injured riders as unionizing, and they were ready to ban any jockey who took steps in that direction.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
To his audience, many of them women aged 18 to 30, Johnson presents the world of colts, jockeys and towering headpieces as a networking opportunity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
The Grand National is harder to predict than other meetings such as Cheltenham, where there are often trainers and jockeys to follow.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
This year there are three women jockeys with Rachel King on outsider Arapaho and Celine Gaudry entrusted with Geelong Cup winner Torranzino.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2025
Its first generation of video jockeys, or VJs, became celebrities themselves as the channel turned music television into a global phenomenon.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2025
In denying their bodies the most basic necessities, jockeys demonstrated incredible fortitude.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Historically, monarchs had a court of advisers, diplomats and merchants who jockeyed for proximity to limitless power.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
It has also jockeyed with Saudi Arabia, the biggest oil producer in OPEC, for regional clout.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 28, 2026
“We recall the cloud transformation cycle about five years ago when leading cybersecurity firms jockeyed for market share, and we are witnessing the same phenomenon in the current AI super cycle secular wave.”
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
As TV producers jockeyed for scoops and access, prosecutors in the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, in Fort Worth, were faced with another task.
From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2026
We jockeyed for position, but I knew I had to end this game quickly, before the man from Bat Lady’s house disappeared.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
The unusually early jockeying shows just how intensely investors want a piece of the company before it goes public.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
While making his way through the ballroom he came across reporters ducking for cover and some jockeying for position with their phone cameras.
From Salon ● May 1, 2026
After months of jockeying, Paramount emerged victorious when it sweetened its offer for Warner, defeating Netflix.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
While nobody is technically running yet, several ambitious Democrats are already busy jockeying for attention and floating policies they might try to pass if they win.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026
His expulsion from the Party created a vacuum that a number of hopefuls were jockeying to fill.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
