maneuver
Americannoun
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maneuvers
plural
-
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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maneuvers,
present (3rd person singular)
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maneuvered,
past participle, past
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maneuvering
present participle
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to change the position of (troops, ships, etc.) by a maneuver.
-
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
-
maneuversimple
-
maneuverssimple
-
have maneuveredperfect
-
has maneuveredperfect
-
am maneuveringprogressive
-
are maneuveringprogressive
-
is maneuveringprogressive
-
have been maneuveringperfect progressive
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has been maneuveringperfect progressive
Past
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maneuveredsimple
-
had maneuveredperfect
-
was maneuveringprogressive
-
were maneuveringprogressive
-
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:
Some questions, which you should put to your adviser: How much room for maneuver do you have in your current federal tax bracket?
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
Henkels is working his way up in a sport filled with talented athletes who have to maneuver their bodies like a gymnast in pursuit of a perfect score of 100 from the judges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
Ms. Hüller, however—the superb actress from such films as “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Toni Erdmann” and, dare I say, “Digger”—gets more room to maneuver, not being burdened by the weight of playing a Great Man.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
The experiments revealed that the nightjar's broad wing tips, which likely help it maneuver during slow flight, become a disadvantage as the bird flies faster.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
They went to the building where the stranger had yelled their own maneuver at them.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
But Lee of the German Marshall Fund expects that Trump has limited room for new maneuvers to force Russia and Ukraine back to the negotiating table.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
The government also highlighted ETF timing maneuvers around corporate dividend-issuance dates that are designed to avoid recognizing dividend income.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
The team developed an AI-based controller that allows the robotic bug to perform demanding aerial maneuvers, including repeated body flips.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Listen to how nimbly Perry maneuvers some very tricky intervals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Now her suggestions and advice resembled maneuvers, the way a farmer tricks a donkey into moving in line with his intentions.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Powell maneuvered behind the scenes to ensure he could have a compatible second-in-command in Richard Clarida in 2018.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026
Eventually, the robot gripped the glass by the rim, maneuvered it into place and threw its hands in the air in triumph.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Holding her breath, Kanowa maneuvered her vehicle to get the perfect shot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
On a rainy day in December, Ayala maneuvered his truck one final time through Mount Washington’s narrow streets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026
Powers faded from public view, but what he could not know is that for the next two years, the CIA maneuvered in secret to bring its man home.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Maeve, meanwhile, is maneuvering to expand her own power.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
But he has been irked at what he says is Paramount’s under-the-table maneuvering.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Even pro-AI residents have objected to the furtive maneuvering around data centers.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
But Cook’s careful demand forecasting and supply-chain maneuvering has hit a wall with one technological development: artificial intelligence.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
Because everyone wants to be there, horses usually bunch up by the rail, so closely that hips and shoulders rub and stirrups clink off each other, making maneuvering difficult or impossible.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
