tactic

[ tak-tik ]

/ ˈtæk tɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tactic ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

tactics(def 1).

a system or a detail of tactics.

a plan, procedure, or expedient for promoting a desired end or result.

adjective

of or relating to arrangement or order; tactical.

RELATED WORDS

ploy, stratagem, gambit

Nearby words

taconic mountains, taconite, tacrine hydrochloride, tact, tactful, tactic, tactical, tactical air command, tactical unit, tactical voting, tactical wire

Origin of tactic

1560–70; New Latin tacticus < Greek taktikós “fit for arranging or ordering,” equivalent to tak- (base of tássein (Attic táttein) “to arrange, put in order”) + -tikos -tic

Related forms

non·tac·tic, noun, adjective

Can be confused

tactic tacticsstratagem tactic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tactic

But he added that the tactic ensured all “relevant” topics in the world of politics were back to the world of Paul.
Rand Paul’s Passive-Aggressive Trolling Campaign|Olivia Nuzzi|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
When that tactic failed to break the strike, the Sikhs received a visitor: a representative from the Indian consulate in Houston.
How the U.S. Sold Out Indian Asylum Seekers on the Border|Caitlin Dickson|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was a tactic designed to force Israeli concessions before talks break down.
The Gaza Paradox: Hamas Has Little Support, but the War Has a Lot|Jesse Rosenfeld|August 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But overstating hateful history is precisely the tactic of the warmongers.
Ukraine’s Fighting Words|Igor Kossov|May 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The tactic made sense only as a stall for defendants each facing 20 years or more in prison.
Bernie Madoff’s Five Little Helpers Are Going To Prison.|Allan Dodds Frank|March 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The man who overrides you will as often be pursuing a tactic as he cajoles you.
The Unpopular Review Vol. I|Various
This tactic for a second must have disconcerted the Air Trust mercenaries.
The Air Trust|George Allan England
Note, in this connection, the tactic of Mr. Balfour in the election struggle of 1909-10.
The Evolution of States|J. M. Robertson
But it may be met, on the part of the sceptic and idealist, by two modes of tactic.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 62, No. 382, October 1847|Various
In vain, or nearly so, is Friedrich's tactic or manoeuvring talent; what now is there to manoeuvre?
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XVIII. (of XXI.)|Thomas Carlyle

British Dictionary definitions for tactic

tactic

/ (ˈtæktɪk) /

noun

a piece of tactics; tactical moveSee also tactics

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