maneuver

American  

[muh-noo-ver] / məˈnu vər /

especially British, manoeuvre

noun

1. a planned and regulated movement or evolution of troops, warships, etc.

2. maneuvers, a series of tactical exercises usually carried out in the field by large bodies of troops in simulating the conditions of war.

3. an act or instance of changing the direction of a moving ship, vehicle, etc., as required.

4. an adroit move, skillful proceeding, etc., especially as characterized by craftiness; ploy.

   political maneuvers.

   Synonyms:

   plan, plot, scheme, procedure, artifice, ruse, tactic, stratagem

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verb (used with object)

maneuvered, maneuvering

1. to change the position of (troops, ships, etc.) by a maneuver.

2. to bring, put, drive, or make by maneuvers.

   He maneuvered his way into the confidence of the enemy.

   Synonyms:

   intrigue, contrive, scheme

3. to manipulate or manage with skill or adroitness.

   to maneuver a conversation.

   Synonyms:

   finesse, handle

4. to steer in various directions as required.

verb (used without object)

maneuvered, maneuvering

1. to perform a maneuver or maneuvers.

2. to scheme; intrigue.

   Synonyms:

   plan, plot

maneuver British  

/ məˈnuːvə /

noun

1. the usual US spelling of manoeuvre

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Other Word Forms

• maneuverability noun
• maneuverable adjective
• maneuverer noun
• maneuvering noun
• unmaneuvered adjective

Etymology

Origin of maneuver

First recorded in 1470–80 for an earlier sense; 1750–60 for current noun sense; from French manoeuvre, Middle French manuevre “handwork,” derivative of Old French manuvrer, from Latin manū operāre “to do handwork,” equivalent to manū (ablative of manus “hand”) + operāre “to work” ( operate ); replacing earlier maanorre “manual labor,” Middle French, as above

Example Sentences

There are times when I’m intentionally maneuvering to avoid debris or a pothole, but the system assumes it’s an error and aggressively pulls me back, which feels more disruptive than helpful.

From The Wall Street Journal

Northrop Grumman said the missiles are being built to respond to the rise of hypersonic missiles, which maneuver in flight and require infrared tracking and speedy data transmission to protect U.S. troops.

From Los Angeles Times

Adams’s maneuver represents a setback for a cornerstone of Mamdani’s populist campaign.

From The Wall Street Journal

My total ignorance of military maneuvers in no way detracts from my enjoyment and in some ways enhances it.

From The Wall Street Journal

The maneuver that prompted Mosaic’s spat with Eurex can improve reaction times by about 3.2 nanoseconds, according to the French firm, which calls it “corrupted speculative triggering,” or CST for short.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• action
• gimmick
• manipulation
• measure
• movement
• plot
• ploy
• procedure
• ruse
• scheme
• step
• stunt
• trick