What does "maverick" mean?
An unbranded range animal.
Maverick
/ˈmævəɹɪk/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An unbranded range animal.
- Grammar: maverick is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: free spirit, individualist, nonconformist, rebel.
- Useful contrasts: branded cattle, careful, cautious.
- Usage evidence: Senator Jackson carefully cultivates the image of a maverick, but he toes the party line more often than not.
How to use "maverick"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "maverick" 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 "maverick" 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 "maverick" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "maverick" 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 "maverick" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang 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 "free spirit" 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 "maverick", 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 An unbranded range animal.
"In this distribution, care is taken to leave not only those which bear the owner's mark and brand, but his due proportion of the mavericks* that have been found upon the expedition. [footnote: *The term "maverick" is applied in this country to all animals that have neither mark nor brand upon them, and originated in this way:[…]]"
- 2 A member of one of the sports teams with a mascot called Maverick.
- 3 an unbranded range animal (especially a stray calf); belongs to the first person who puts a brand on it wordnet
- 4 Anything dishonestly obtained. broadly
- 5 Someone who attends, or has attended in the past, one of these schools, especially one involved in the sports teams.
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action wordnet
- 7 One who is unconventional or does not abide by rules. broadly
"Among historians he was a maverick because of his belief that history is meaningless."
- 8 One who creates or uses controversial or unconventional ideas or practices. broadly
"We then drift back into our old habits, glorify efficiency, and smile knowingly at the mavericks within the faculty who want the administration to take democracy seriously."
- 9 A person in the military who became an officer by going to college while on active duty as an enlisted person.
"They had been working for and with each other for a very long period and their tolerance for “mavericks” was very high, especially if these mavericks continued to get promoted."
- 10 A queen and a jack as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em. slang
Verb
- 1 To take an unbranded range animal. US
"The court permitted the State to prove, over defendant's objections, that Thedford met Noon Tucker and Calvery driving the yearling over to Bachelor's for delivery. Thedford inquired of Noon "if that [meaning the yearling] was one he had mavericked?""
- 2 To seize without a legal claim. broadly
Adjective
- 1 Unbranded.
"Occasionally some young men who have no cattle of their own will take part in these expeditions, or they will give their services by the year to receive a pro rata of all the maverick cattle that may be found. [Quoted from The Texas New Yorker, pages 110–111.]"
- 2 Showing independence in thoughts or actions.
"He made a maverick decision. She is such a maverick person."
Adjective
- 1 independent in behavior or thought wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A male given name.
- 3 Any of several individual secondary school and sports team mascots, most of which are in the United States.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Senator Jackson carefully cultivates the image of a maverick, but he toes the party line more often than not."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "maverick"?
Common synonyms include: free spirit, individualist, nonconformist, rebel, agitator, alien.
How do you use "maverick" in a sentence?
Senator Jackson carefully cultivates the image of a maverick, but he toes the party line more often than not.
How do you pronounce "maverick"?
Pronounced /ˈmævəɹɪk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Named after Texan lawyer and politician Samuel Maverick (1803–1870), who refused to brand his cattle. For probable origin and meaning, see Maverick. The poker noun sense (“a queen and a jack as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em”) may be from the theme song of the US Western television series Maverick (1957–1962), which says of the eponymous protagonist that “[g]amblin’ is his game” and that he is “livin’ on jacks and queens”.
Etymology 2
The surname is most famously associated with Samuel Maverick, a rancher from Texas who did not brand his cattle. The surname is of uncertain origin, but known to date as far back as the 1500s in Devon, England. Its meaning is a matter of conjecture, with connections to the name Maurice being unprovable.