jockey

American  

[jok-ee] / ˈdʒɒk i /

noun

• jockeys
  plural

1. a person who rides horses professionally in races.

2. Informal. a person who pilots, operates, or guides the movement of something, as an airplane or automobile.

---

verb (used with object)

• jockeys,
  present (3rd person singular)
• jockeyed,
  past participle,  past
• jockeying
  present participle

1. to ride (a horse) as a jockey.

2. Informal. to operate or guide the movement of; pilot; drive.

3. to move, bring, put, etc., by skillful maneuvering.

   The movers jockeyed the sofa through the door.

4. to trick or cheat.

   The salesman jockeyed them into buying an expensive car.

5. to manipulate cleverly or trickily.

   He jockeyed himself into office.

verb (used without object)

• jockeys,
  present (3rd person singular)
• jockeyed,
  past participle,  past
• jockeying
  present participle

1. to aim at an advantage by skillful maneuvering.

2. to act trickily; seek an advantage by trickery.

jockey British  

/ ˈdʒɒkɪ /

noun

1. a person who rides horses in races, esp as a profession or for hire

---

verb

1. 1. (tr) to ride (a horse) in a race

   2. (intr) to ride as a jockey

2. 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 )

3. to trick or cheat (a person)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• jockeyship
  noun
• jockeyish
  adjective
• jockeylike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• jockeys
  plural

Participles

• jockeying
  present
• jockeyed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• jockey
  simple
• jockeys
  simple
• have jockeyed
  perfect
• has jockeyed
  perfect
• am jockeying
  progressive
• are jockeying
  progressive
• is jockeying
  progressive
• have been jockeying
  perfect progressive
• has been jockeying
  perfect progressive

Past

• jockeyed
  simple
• had jockeyed
  perfect
• was jockeying
  progressive
• were jockeying
  progressive
• had been jockeying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will jockey
  simple
• will have jockeyed
  perfect
• will be jockeying
  progressive
• will have been jockeying
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

jockey jockeys jockeyed jockeying

Beijing leader woos developing countries as superpowers jockey for technology lead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

While veterans jockey for new contracts during free agency, young players are getting their tryout opportunities with NBA summer league games beginning this week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 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

Bodexpress was the last to try, in 2019, but he reared leaving the starting gate and dumped his jockey.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

A young jockey named George Woolf, aboard for one of these woeful performances, summed up the colt’s mental state in four words: “mean, restive and ragged.”

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

Catsimatidis even hired one of WABC’s legendary disc jockeys, Bruce Morrow — known to millions of baby boomers as Cousin Brucie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

She added: "Only around 2-3% of licensed jockeys come from these communities, far below the national average, so we hope that Aamilah is the first of many to come through the ranks and succeed."

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2025

He headlines several Melbourne Cup-winning jockeys back again, including 2020 champion Jye McNeil on the Chris Waller-trained Valiant King, whose prospects soared after drawing barrier 10.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2025

No such luxuries were available to the jockeys of the twenties and thirties.

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

Their purple forms flickered as they jockeyed for places.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

U.S. and China are jockeying for drone supremacy on Mount Everest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 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

But the reasons for their departure also include personal wounds that have never healed, including jockeying over more classic corporate issues such as power and credit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 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