jockey

[ jok-ee ]

/ ˈdʒɒk i /

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See synonyms for jockey on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural jock·eys.

a person who rides horses professionally in races.

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

verb (used with object), jock·eyed, jock·ey·ing.

to ride (a horse) as a jockey.

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

to move, bring, put, etc., by skillful maneuvering: The movers jockeyed the sofa through the door.

to trick or cheat: The salesman jockeyed them into buying an expensive car.

to manipulate cleverly or trickily: He jockeyed himself into office.

verb (used without object), jock·eyed, jock·ey·ing.

to aim at an advantage by skillful maneuvering.

to act trickily; seek an advantage by trickery.

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Origin of jockey

First recorded in 1520–30 for an earlier sense; special use of Jock + -ey²

OTHER WORDS FROM jockey

jock·ey·like, jock·ey·ish, adjectivejock·ey·ship, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use jockey in a sentence

It gets at the whole “cynical jockeying for power” aspect of the series, plus it sounds pretty intense—and campy!
Game of Thrones’ Ep. 7 ‘Mockingbird’ Recap: Conscious Coupling (and Uncoupling)|Andrew Romano|May 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now House Republicans are “jockeying” to get on the proposed Benghazi committee.
How Republicans Twist Benghazi|Dean Obeidallah|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And everyone is jockeying to be the next speaker of the House behind Boehner.
Michael Steele on the ‘I Told You So’ Caucus Getting the Shutdown Right|Lloyd Grove|October 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Maybe coherent resolutions will emerge from the inevitable jockeying.
Syria: What Have We Learned?|Leslie H. Gelb|September 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The assumption that Boehner's departure is imminent has set off a round of jockeying for the positions that would open up.
Life After Boehner|Michael Tomasky|September 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Jack Hamlin was here, and was jockeying to stop him, and interfered.
The Three Partners|Bret Harte
We must swallow it and the reputation of 'jockeying' with the Wheat Trust, too.
The Three Partners|Bret Harte
Well, he has earned it fairly this time, more so than by jockeying us over it as he tried to do before.
The Luck of Gerard Ridgeley|Bertram Mitford
Jockeying the ship carefully, Meta brought it down on a flat shelf near the cave mouth.
Deathworld|Harry Harrison
Notwithstanding this, we can beat them, but the race requires the finest jockeying.
The World's Greatest Books, Vol III|Arthur Mee and J.A. Hammerton, Eds.

British Dictionary definitions for jockey

jockey

/ (ˈdʒɒkɪ) /

noun

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

verb

(tr) to ride (a horse) in a race
(intr) to ride as a jockey

(intr often foll by for) 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)

to trick or cheat (a person)

Word Origin for jockey

C16 (in the sense: lad): from name Jock + -ey

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

jockey

Origin of jockey

OTHER WORDS FROM jockey

Words related to jockey

How to use jockey in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jockey

Word Origin for jockey