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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am maneuveringprogressive
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are 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.
See Examples For:
Iran has long said the Kheibar Shekan can maneuver in the final stage of its flight to evade air defenses, he added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Anduril said “Thunder is urgently needed today” and “brings the combination of capabilities necessary to achieve maneuver dominance on the modern battlefield.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
However, his room for maneuver is constrained because both the tax burden and government borrowing are already near historic highs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Iran has adapted to U.S. defenses, firing missiles that travel at extremely high speeds and can maneuver as they streak toward the earth, The Wall Street Journal has previously reported.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Little by little she began to understand how a creature could maneuver in such a treacherous medium.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Any benefits to the equity market due to Fed policy maneuvers have been purely ancillary, Sosnick said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
Communities across Southern California have been grappling with a proliferation of young riders on electric bikes and motorcycles on city streets, engaging in dangerous maneuvers and, sometimes, engaging police in chases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Here, Madonna is liberated from Universal’s script notes or editing maneuvers, free from tweaking anyone’s performance to feel more like the real thing.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
The mission attempting unprecedented maneuvers has a projected cost of $30 million to save the device, which originally cost $250 million.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
He maneuvers through the parking lot traffic to Sekani’s school.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
Bimbo is maneuvered into a graveyard whose tombstones sway and sing, and whose ground opens up to reveal teeth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
That means she recently crossed into her 50s, although when CBS’ Miller asked the glamorous Muppet to confirm that, she creatively maneuvered her interviewer into agreeing that both are 25.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2026
Instead the crew built a cockpit on a gimbal several feet in the air and maneuvered the actors across the sky as if they were really flying.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026
Justice Department officials maneuvered to ensure that the court would take up the question as quickly as possible, evidently hoping to notch a win.
From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2026
As the stretcher was maneuvered into position alongside the bed, Briony’s fingers went slack, she had no control over them, and she brought up her left knee in time to catch the weight.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Further, radar also doesn’t show the names of other ships, making communication, coordination and maneuvering to avoid collisions challenging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
Testimony centered heavily on Altman's integrity and behind-the-scenes maneuvering that rankled colleagues, many of whom have since left OpenAI.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
Because of the state’s maneuvering, it could take years for the plaintiffs to get their day in court.
From Slate ● May 4, 2026
As far back as 1846, President James K. Polk took the initiative in maneuvering the U.S. into a war with Mexico.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
"Hermes is huge. It's not made for fine maneuvering control."
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
