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manoeuvre

American  
[muh-noo-ver] / məˈnu vər /

noun

manoeuvred, manoeuvring
  1. Chiefly British. a variant of maneuver.


manoeuvre British  
/ məˈnuːvə /

noun

  1. a contrived, complicated, and possibly deceptive plan or action

    political manoeuvres

  2. a movement or action requiring dexterity and skill

    1. a tactic or movement of one or a number of military or naval units

    2. (plural) tactical exercises, usually on a large scale

  3. a planned movement of an aircraft in flight

  4. any change from the straight steady course of a ship

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to contrive or accomplish with skill or cunning

  2. (intr) to manipulate situations, etc, in order to gain some end

    to manoeuvre for the leadership

  3. (intr) to perform a manoeuvre or manoeuvres

  4. to move or deploy or be moved or deployed, as military units, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • manoeuvrability noun
  • manoeuvrable adjective
  • manoeuvrer noun
  • manoeuvring noun

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.

The success or otherwise of that - and similar manoeuvres at Hearts and Celtic over the next few weeks - will go a long way to deciding the destination of the title.

From BBC

China's military drills around Taiwan entered their second day on Tuesday, the sixth major manoeuvres Beijing has held near the self-ruled island in recent years.

From Barron's

It said the car appeared to have "lost control during an overtaking manoeuvre" and crashed into the stationary truck by the side of the road.

From BBC

Athletes use the pool to focus on training specific manoeuvres and aerials on the perfectly consistent man-made wave.

From BBC

While this golfing year will be remembered for historic and thrilling action, manoeuvres off the course in 2025 also provide a highly significant legacy.

From BBC