maverick

American  

[mav-er-ik, mav-rik] / ˈmæv ər ɪk, ˈmæv rɪk /

noun

• mavericks
  plural

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).

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adjective

1. unorthodox, unconventional, or nonconformist.

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

maverick British  

/ 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

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Pop Culture

—Dallas Mavericks: American professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas, a member of the National Basketball Association (NBA). — Maverick : popular American TV series (1957–62) set in the Wild West that inspired a film of the same name (1994). —Maverick: Nickname and call sign of ace fighter pilot, played by Tom Cruise, in the film Top Gun (1986). —Ford Maverick: Stylish, youthfully designed mid-size car made in the late 1960s and ‘70s in North America and Brazil.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mavericks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of maverick

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

Explanation

A maverick is a rebel, someone who shows a lot of independence. A maverick on a motorcycle might blaze her own trail, traveling around the country and earning money by performing in rodeos. Samuel A. Maverick owned a lot of cattle, and he let them roam around Texas without a brand, or identification mark, seared into their skins. Samuel was a maverick for going against the common practice of tracking his animals, and his last name became part of the English language as both an adjective and a noun in the 19th century. Someone who acts very independently is a maverick, and individual actions that stand out are maverick, as in "her maverick jumping style on the ice was both wild and delicate."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

maverick mavericks

Defender Riccardo Calafiori, who Arsenal signed for £42m in 2024, regained his fitness and the Italy international's versatility and maverick nature when going forward plays such a big part in the team's attack.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

He calls himself an independent Republican cut from the same polar-fleece lining as the state’s maverick GOP senator, Lisa Murkowski.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

The EchoStar chairman, CEO and controlling shareholder is an industry maverick.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

He told Ben Mankiewicz of TCM that he wasn’t a maverick.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

He shuffled to the back of the bus, grateful that it wasn’t one of the crowded school buses but a maverick bus that appeared at odd hours.

From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier

Both were mavericks, and Graham 1.0 had an independent streak.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

He paved the way for a second and third generation of L.A. theatrical mavericks, notably Peter Sellars and Yuval Sharon, who newly and profoundly alter perception.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

LIV was a company full of bold thinkers and innovators and mavericks who weren’t afraid to leave predictable jobs to move to this opportunity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

Genge, who plays alongside Fiji stars Kalaveti Ravouvou and Viliame Mata at English club Bristol, added: "They are a team full of absolute mavericks and they have got lightning bolts everywhere."

From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2025

Say," he continued, "I seen Long Bill and some o' them fellers drive in a bunch of mavericks off'n the range, an' they're goin' to brand 'em back of old Peter's this evenin'.

From Hope Hathaway A Story of Western Ranch Life by Frances Parker