maverick

[mav-er-ik, mav-rik]

noun

1. Southwestern U.S.,  an unbranded calf, cow, or steer, especially an unbranded calf that is separated from its mother.

2. 1. a lone dissenter, such as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from their peers.

      His unusual techniques made him a maverick of modern dance.

   2. a person pursuing rebellious, even potentially disruptive, policies or ideas.

      You can't muzzle a maverick.

3. Maverick, an electro-optically guided U.S. air-to-ground tactical missile for destroying tanks and other hardened targets at ranges up to 15 miles (24 km).

adjective

1. unorthodox, unconventional, or nonconformist.

   She had a reputation as a maverick fiscal conservative willing to raise taxes.

maverick

/ ˈmævərɪk /

noun

1. (in US and Canadian cattle-raising regions) an unbranded animal, esp a stray calf

2. 1. a person of independent or unorthodox views

   2. ( as modifier )

      a maverick politician

Word History and Origins

Origin of maverick¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; named after Samuel A. Maverick (1803–70), Texas pioneer who left his calves unbranded

Word History and Origins

Origin of maverick¹

C19: after Samuel A. Maverick (1803–70), Texas rancher, who did not brand his cattle

Example Sentences

LIV was a company full of bold thinkers and innovators and mavericks who weren’t afraid to leave predictable jobs to move to this opportunity.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He faces competition from fellow rap maverick Tyler, The Creator with his wildly inventive Chromakopia; and reunited hip-hop duo Clipse, whose Let God Sort Em Out is their first release since 2009.

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Most members of this maverick faction in the Conservative party were united by politics, not personal bonds.

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Predominantly kits were kept to a single colour - two if you were feeling bold, three if you were feeling like a maverick.

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On his 21st birthday, in 1932, he came into a sizable inheritance that allowed him to live where he wanted and indulge his maverick aesthetic proclivities.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal