manoeuvre

American  

[muh-noo-ver] / məˈnu vər /

noun

manoeuvred, manoeuvring

1. Chiefly British. a variant of maneuver.

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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

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

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

4. a planned movement of an aircraft in flight

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

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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

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of manoeuvre

C15: from French, from Medieval Latin manuopera manual work, from Latin manū operāre to work with the hand

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, China is forging ahead with its own plans to land its astronauts on the Moon by 2030, leaving Nasa without much room for manoeuvre.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

Stell said the incoming chair would enter the role with "little room for manoeuvre" and may be forced to take a more conservative approach.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

"Even with maximum adjustment to our settings, the room for manoeuvre remains minimal" for TotalEnergies, he added.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

Opening the Strait of Hormuz, the geographic choke point through which 20% of the world's oil export travels, is a "simple military manoeuvre", but for now only Iranian-approved ships are transiting the waters.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

He had seemed to oppose the windmill, simply as a manoeuvre to get rid of Snowball, who was a dangerous character and a bad influence.

From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell