What does "maneuver" mean?
The planned movement of troops, vehicles etc.; a strategic repositioning; (later also) a large training field-exercise of fighting units.
Maneuver
/məˈnuvɚ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The planned movement of troops, vehicles etc.; a strategic repositioning; (later also) a large training field-exercise of fighting units.
- Grammar: maneuver is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: tactic, accomplished fact, accomplishment, achievement.
- Useful contrasts: freeze, ignore, improvisation.
- Usage evidence: Should I perform the Heimlich Maneuver?
How to use "maneuver"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "maneuver" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "maneuver" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "maneuver" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "maneuver" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "maneuver" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "tactic" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "maneuver", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The planned movement of troops, vehicles etc.; a strategic repositioning; (later also) a large training field-exercise of fighting units. US
"The army was on maneuvers."
- 2 an action aimed at evading an opponent wordnet
- 3 Any strategic or cunning action; a stratagem. US
"“This,” cried he, “is a manœuvre I have been some time expecting: but Mr. Harrel, though artful and selfish, is by no means deep.”"
- 4 a move made to gain a tactical end wordnet
- 5 A movement of the body, or with an implement, instrument etc., especially one performed with skill or dexterity. US
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill wordnet
- 7 A specific medical or surgical movement, often eponymous, done with the doctor's hands or surgical instruments. US
"The otorhinolaryngologist performed an Epley maneuver and the patient was relieved of his vertigo."
- 8 a military training exercise wordnet
- 9 A controlled (especially skillful) movement taken while steering a vehicle. US
"Parallel parking can be a difficult maneuver."
- 10 a plan for attaining a particular goal wordnet
Verb
- 1 To move (something, or oneself) carefully, and often with difficulty, into a certain position. US, ambitransitive
- 2 perform a movement in military or naval tactics in order to secure an advantage in attack or defense wordnet
- 3 To guide, steer, manage purposefully US, figuratively, transitive
- 4 direct the course; determine the direction of travelling wordnet
- 5 To intrigue, manipulate, plot, scheme US, figuratively, intransitive
"The patriarch maneuvered till his offspring occupied countless key posts"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 act in order to achieve a certain goal wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Should I perform the Heimlich Maneuver?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "maneuver"?
Common synonyms include: tactic, accomplished fact, accomplishment, achievement, act, act on.
How do you use "maneuver" in a sentence?
Should I perform the Heimlich Maneuver?
How do you pronounce "maneuver"?
Pronounced /məˈnuvɚ/.
Etymology
From Middle French manœuvre (“manipulation, maneuver”) and manouvrer (“to maneuver”), from Old French manovre (“handwork, manual labor”), from Medieval Latin manopera, manuopera (“work done by hand, handwork”), from manu (“by hand”) + operari (“to work”). First recorded in the Capitularies of Charlemagne (800 AD) to mean "chore, manual task", probably as a calque of the Frankish *handuwerk (“hand-work”). Compare Old English handweorc, Old English handġeweorc, German Handwerk. The verb is a doublet of the verb manure.