Tactic

//ˈtæktɪk// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some end.

    "Omar has challenged Elliott Abrams’s record in Latin America, taken a firm line against Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, and advocated for—wait for it—the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine (even though the headlines have focused on her expressing support for the right to boycott as a tactic)."

  2. 2
    a plan for attaining a particular goal wordnet
  3. 3
    A maneuver used against an enemy.
  4. 4
    A sequence of moves that limits the opponent's options and results in an immediate and tangible advantage, typically in the form of material.
Adjective
  1. 1
    Tactical; of or relating to the art of military and naval tactics. dated, not-comparable

    "But time will teach the Russ, ev'n conquering War Has handmaid arts: aye, aye, the Russ will woo All sciences that speed Bellona's car, All murder's tactic arts, and win them too […]"

  2. 2
    Describing a polymer whose repeat units are identical not-comparable

Example

More examples

"Racial profiling is a controversial police tactic."

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin tactica, from Ancient Greek τακτικός (taktikós, “fit for ordering”), from τάσσω (tássō, “to order, to arrange”).

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.