n.
- A strategic or tactical military or naval movement.
- A large-scale tactical exercise carried out under simulated conditions of war. Often used in the plural.
- A controlled change in movement or direction of a moving vehicle or vessel, as in the flight path of an aircraft.
- A movement or procedure involving skill and dexterity.
- A strategic action undertaken to gain an end.
- Artful handling of affairs that is often marked by scheming and deceit. See synonyms at wile.
v., -vered, -ver·ing, -vers. v.intr.
- To carry out a military or naval maneuver.
- To make a controlled series of changes in movement or direction toward an objective: maneuvered to get closer to the stage.
- To shift ground; change tactics: The opposition had no room in which to maneuver.
- To use stratagems in gaining an end.
- To alter the tactical placement of (troops or warships).
- To direct through a series of movements or changes in course: maneuvered the car through traffic.
- To manipulate into a desired position or toward a predetermined goal: maneuvered him into signing the contract. See synonyms at manipulate.
[French manœuvre, from Old French maneuvre, manual work, from Medieval Latin manuopera, from Latin manū operārī, to work by hand : manū, ablative of manus, hand + operārī, to work.]
maneuverability ma·neu'ver·a·bil'i·ty n.maneuverable ma·neu'ver·a·ble adj.
maneuverer ma·neu'ver·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
