maverick

[mav-er-ik, mav-rik]

noun

1. Southwestern U.S.,  an unbranded calf, cow, or steer, especially an unbranded calf that is separated from its mother.

2. 1. a lone dissenter, such as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from their peers.

      His unusual techniques made him a maverick of modern dance.

   2. a person pursuing rebellious, even potentially disruptive, policies or ideas.

      You can't muzzle a maverick.

3. Maverick, an electro-optically guided U.S. air-to-ground tactical missile for destroying tanks and other hardened targets at ranges up to 15 miles (24 km).

adjective

1. unorthodox, unconventional, or nonconformist.

   She had a reputation as a maverick fiscal conservative willing to raise taxes.

maverick

/ ˈmævərɪk /

noun

1. (in US and Canadian cattle-raising regions) an unbranded animal, esp a stray calf

2. 1. a person of independent or unorthodox views

   2. ( as modifier )

      a maverick politician

Word History and Origins

Origin of maverick¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; named after Samuel A. Maverick (1803–70), Texas pioneer who left his calves unbranded

Word History and Origins

Origin of maverick¹

C19: after Samuel A. Maverick (1803–70), Texas rancher, who did not brand his cattle

Example Sentences

But Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, while not a liberal firebrand, is not your typical political maverick.

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Farrells, the architecture practice he founded, announced his death "with deep sadness", saying: "Terry was frequently called a maverick, radical and a non-conformist which he relished."

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Lepore’s astute in her discussion of maverick Columbia professor Charles Austin Beard, whose “An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution,” published in 1913, sparked controversy.

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The forward is one of the last few players you could describe as being a maverick.

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He had been the undoubted star at Villa, coming through the academy to become a free-spirited maverick that helped the team to promotion from the Championship and re-established them in the Premier League.

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