manoeuvre
Americannoun
noun
-
a contrived, complicated, and possibly deceptive plan or action
political manoeuvres
-
a movement or action requiring dexterity and skill
-
-
a tactic or movement of one or a number of military or naval units
-
(plural) tactical exercises, usually on a large scale
-
-
a planned movement of an aircraft in flight
-
any change from the straight steady course of a ship
verb
-
(tr) to contrive or accomplish with skill or cunning
-
(intr) to manipulate situations, etc, in order to gain some end
to manoeuvre for the leadership
-
(intr) to perform a manoeuvre or manoeuvres
-
to move or deploy or be moved or deployed, as military units, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of manoeuvre
C15: from French, from Medieval Latin manuopera manual work, from Latin manū operāre to work with the hand
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.
See Examples For:
The summit showed that Brics can create space for rivals to talk and manoeuvre outside Western-dominated institutions.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
And it is in the top three for 45 of the 50 American states, suggesting Prime Minister Mark Carney has room to manoeuvre in a trade fight.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
That leaves the markets with less room for manoeuvre, he pointed out.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Burnham, an MP between 2001 and 2017, has little room to manoeuvre amid high public debt and strict financial rules requiring him to balance government spending against tax revenue.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
He had seemed to oppose the windmill, simply as a manoeuvre to get rid of Snowball, who was a dangerous character and a bad influence.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
According to the UK defence source, the Russian frigate appeared to have been "drifting rather than being manoeuvred under power, which may have made her feel more vulnerable".
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
With a steady hand, she manoeuvred a huge wind turbine section, five metres in diameter, across the yard.
From Barron's ● Mar. 7, 2026
Unlike the more common ballistic missiles, which travel in a fairly predictable arc – a parabolic curve - hypersonic glide vehicles can move in an erratic way, manoeuvred in final flight towards their target.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025
For the first time ever, SpaceX successfully manoeuvred the bottom part of the vehicle, the Super Heavy booster, back to the launch pad.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2024
He manoeuvred the ship over the ruins of Epidaurus.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Ex-health minister Wes Streeting, also manoeuvring for the top job, said Tuesday the prime minister should be given "space over the weekend" to consider his future.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Plus, frankly, there are those within Labour who would rather he didn't come back to Westminster, such has been, as they see it, the gratuitous nature of his manoeuvring for the top job.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026
Both sides have been manoeuvring around these positions all year, trying to reinforce roads access and fortifications around them.
From BBC ● Dec. 10, 2025
For months however, factions within the ZANU-PF have been manoeuvring for the extension.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2025
The Nazis are manoeuvring him like a pawn.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
