maneuver
Americannoun
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a planned and regulated movement or evolution of troops, warships, etc.
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maneuvers, a series of tactical exercises usually carried out in the field by large bodies of troops in simulating the conditions of war.
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an act or instance of changing the direction of a moving ship, vehicle, etc., as required.
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an adroit move, skillful proceeding, etc., especially as characterized by craftiness; ploy.
political maneuvers.
verb (used with object)
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to change the position of (troops, ships, etc.) by a maneuver.
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to bring, put, drive, or make by maneuvers.
He maneuvered his way into the confidence of the enemy.
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to manipulate or manage with skill or adroitness.
to maneuver a conversation.
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to steer in various directions as required.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has maneuveredperfect 3rd person singular
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have maneuveredperfect
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have been maneuveringperfect progressive
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is maneuveringprogressive 3rd person singular
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maneuveringparticiple
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has been maneuveringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are maneuveringprogressive
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maneuverssingular 3rd person
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am maneuveringprogressive 1st person singular
Past
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had maneuveredperfect
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were maneuveringprogressive plural
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maneuveredsimple
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was maneuveringprogressive singular
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maneuveredparticiple
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had been maneuveringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of maneuver
First recorded in 1470–80 for an earlier sense; 1750–60 for current noun sense; from French manoeuvre, Middle French manuevre “handwork,” derivative of Old French manuvrer, from Latin manū operāre “to do handwork,” equivalent to manū (ablative of manus “hand”) + operāre “to work” ( see operate); replacing earlier maanorre “manual labor,” Middle French, as above
Explanation
You maneuver your way through a crowd, a bureaucracy, traffic, or traffic cones. You can maneuver a car or a piece of machinery. Army maneuvers are highly coordinated movements of troops, supplies and machinery. If you're wondering if the opposite of maneuver is woman-euver, wonder no further. It isn't. Although maneuvering often involves a man on the move, the man- comes from the Latin manus meaning "hand." Maneuver reached English via the French manœuvre meaning "tactical movement" — an interesting maneuver in its own right.
Vocabulary lists containing maneuver
The Hate U Give
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"Rogue Wave," Vocabulary from the short story
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Touching Spirit Bear
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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.
With a settlement in place, Williams seemed to lose control over the legal dispute—until this week, when she used the clever procedural maneuver to reopen the case.
From Slate • Jun. 4, 2026
OpenAI seems to have tried to address this problem by having essentially the same board for both entities, itself a questionable maneuver.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
With higher amounts of debt already on their books, that could leave small-cap companies with less room to maneuver when trying to raise capital if interest rates stay elevated.
From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026
However, some critics disagree, saying this legal maneuver is likely to be struck down.
From Salon • May 28, 2026
In general, though, we learned that, as thrilling as it looked, trying to maneuver a body suddenly weightless out in space could actually be quite tiring for the person.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
