maverick

American  

[mav-er-ik, mav-rik] / ˈmæv ər ɪk, ˈmæv rɪk /

noun

• mavericks
  plural

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).

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adjective

1. unorthodox, unconventional, or nonconformist.

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

maverick British  

/ 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

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Pop Culture

—Dallas Mavericks: American professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas, a member of the National Basketball Association (NBA). — Maverick : popular American TV series (1957–62) set in the Wild West that inspired a film of the same name (1994). —Maverick: Nickname and call sign of ace fighter pilot, played by Tom Cruise, in the film Top Gun (1986). —Ford Maverick: Stylish, youthfully designed mid-size car made in the late 1960s and ‘70s in North America and Brazil.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mavericks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of maverick

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

Explanation

A maverick is a rebel, someone who shows a lot of independence. A maverick on a motorcycle might blaze her own trail, traveling around the country and earning money by performing in rodeos. Samuel A. Maverick owned a lot of cattle, and he let them roam around Texas without a brand, or identification mark, seared into their skins. Samuel was a maverick for going against the common practice of tracking his animals, and his last name became part of the English language as both an adjective and a noun in the 19th century. Someone who acts very independently is a maverick, and individual actions that stand out are maverick, as in "her maverick jumping style on the ice was both wild and delicate."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

maverick mavericks

The maverick proved something of a cult figure as Newcastle fought to stay in the Premier League for much of his time at the club.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Messi and Mbappe both converted from 12 yards in the shootout, but maverick stopper Emi Martinez - who also denied Randal Kolo Muani a last-gasp winner - proved the Argentine hero.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

It’s difficult to portray yourself as an antiestablishment maverick when you’re going up against a man dressed as a bin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

For Angelenos who frequented the Ace Hotel, a maverick venue that helped revitalize downtown L.A. for a decade beginning in 2014, walking through Stile will feel both familiar and new.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Not to mention that it's out and out creepy that Fifi, the maverick, is so changed.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Both were mavericks, and Graham 1.0 had an independent streak.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

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.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

Genge, who plays alongside Fiji stars Kalaveti Ravouvou and Viliame Mata at English club Bristol, added: "They are a team full of absolute mavericks and they have got lightning bolts everywhere."

From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2025

Despite the symbolism of the name - that of a stuffy elite set to be humbled by anti-establishment mavericks - it was likely unintentional on Klotz's part.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2023

More than one big stock-man in Texas began his career by branding the mavericks, or wild unbranded and unclaimed heifers, found in the river timber.

From With the World's Great Travellers, Volume 1 by Various