maneuver
Americannoun
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a planned and regulated movement or evolution of troops, warships, etc.
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maneuvers, a series of tactical exercises usually carried out in the field by large bodies of troops in simulating the conditions of war.
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an act or instance of changing the direction of a moving ship, vehicle, etc., as required.
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an adroit move, skillful proceeding, etc., especially as characterized by craftiness; ploy.
political maneuvers.
verb (used with object)
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to change the position of (troops, ships, etc.) by a maneuver.
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to bring, put, drive, or make by maneuvers.
He maneuvered his way into the confidence of the enemy.
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to manipulate or manage with skill or adroitness.
to maneuver a conversation.
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to steer in various directions as required.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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maneuversimple
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maneuverssimple
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have maneuveredperfect
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has maneuveredperfect
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are maneuveringprogressive
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am maneuveringprogressive
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is maneuveringprogressive
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have been maneuveringperfect progressive
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has been maneuveringperfect progressive
Past
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maneuveredsimple
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had maneuveredperfect
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was maneuveringprogressive
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were maneuveringprogressive
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had been maneuveringperfect progressive
Future
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” ( see operate); replacing earlier maanorre “manual labor,” Middle French, as above
Explanation
You maneuver your way through a crowd, a bureaucracy, traffic, or traffic cones. You can maneuver a car or a piece of machinery. Army maneuvers are highly coordinated movements of troops, supplies and machinery. If you're wondering if the opposite of maneuver is woman-euver, wonder no further. It isn't. Although maneuvering often involves a man on the move, the man- comes from the Latin manus meaning "hand." Maneuver reached English via the French manœuvre meaning "tactical movement" — an interesting maneuver in its own right.
Vocabulary lists containing maneuver
The Hate U Give
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"Rogue Wave," Vocabulary from the short story
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Touching Spirit Bear
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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.
Masino survived by unceremoniously casting aside her original plans in the wake of a customer and social-media revolt and focusing back on the brand’s core customers, a maneuver many CEOs struggle to pull off.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
“People are sick of the games, and sick of people trying to just maneuver things to get their own person in,” Wiener said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
And since it would be levied only in one state, there is an obvious maneuver available: Move to another state.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
With a settlement in place, Williams seemed to lose control over the legal dispute—until this week, when she used the clever procedural maneuver to reopen the case.
From Slate • Jun. 4, 2026
The Epic Ellison Girls exited the battle, their rogue robot in pursuit, their part of the maneuver complete.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
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.
