tactic

[tak-tik]

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.

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 formsnon·tac·tic, noun, adjective

Can be confusedtactic tacticsstratagem tactic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for tactic

ploy, stratagem, gambit

Examples from the Web for tactic

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
But overstating hateful history is precisely the tactic of the warmongers.
Ukraine’s Fighting Words
Igor Kossov
May 13, 2014
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

Historical Examples of tactic

The enemy then followed a tactic which was to succeed rapidly.
World's War Events, Vol. I
Various
Nothing the enemy has done so far points to that kind of tactic.
The Electronic Mind Reader
John Blaine
The man who overrides you will as often be pursuing a tactic as he cajoles you.
The Unpopular Review Vol. I
Various
But Gene and Symonds were on the bottom, too crushed by this tactic to make a sound.
The Hell Ship
Raymond Alfred Palmer
Their first tactic would probably be to push us off, one by one.
The Planet Savers
Marion Zimmer Bradley

British Dictionary definitions for tactic

tactic

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

Word Origin and History for tactic

1766, from Modern Latin tactica, from Greek taktike (tekhne) "(art of) arrangement," from fem. of taktikos (see tactics). Earlier it meant "a tactician" (1630s), and was in use as an adjective meaning "tactical" (c.1600).