MANEUVER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does maneuver mean? 

• MANEUVER (noun)
  The noun MANEUVER has 5 senses:

1. a military training exercise

2. a plan for attaining a particular goal

3. a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill

4. a move made to gain a tactical end

5. an action aimed at evading an opponent

  Familiarity information: MANEUVER used as a noun is common.

• MANEUVER (verb)
  The verb MANEUVER has 3 senses:

1. direct the course; determine the direction of travelling

2. act in order to achieve a certain goal

3. perform a movement in military or naval tactics in order to secure an advantage in attack or defense

  Familiarity information: MANEUVER used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MANEUVER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A military training exercise

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

maneuver; manoeuvre; simulated military operation

Hypernyms ("maneuver" is a kind of...):

military operation; operation (activity by a military or naval force (as a maneuver or campaign))

Domain category:

armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)

Holonyms ("maneuver" is a part of...):

military training (training soldiers in military procedures)

Derivation:

maneuver (perform a movement in military or naval tactics in order to secure an advantage in attack or defense)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A plan for attaining a particular goal

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

maneuver; manoeuvre; tactic; tactics

Hypernyms ("maneuver" is a kind of...):

plan of action (a plan for actively doing something)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

maneuver; manoeuvre; play

Context example:

the runner was out on a play by the shortstop

Hypernyms ("maneuver" is a kind of...):

motion; move; movement (the act of changing location from one place to another)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "maneuver"):

baseball play ((baseball) a play executed by a baseball team)

mousetrap; trap play ((American football) a play in which a defensive player is allowed to cross the line of scrimmage and then blocked off as the runner goes through the place the lineman vacated)

blitz; linebacker blitzing; safety blitz ((American football) defensive players try to break through the offensive line)

shot; stroke ((sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand)

footwork (the manner of using the feet)

obstruction (getting in someone's way)

jugglery (the performance of a juggler)

assist ((sports) the act of enabling another player to make a good play)

ball hawking (a skillful maneuver in catching balls or in stealing the ball from the opposing team)

completion; pass completion ((American football) a successful forward pass in football)

figure (a predetermined set of movements in dancing or skating)

takeaway (the act of taking the ball or puck away from the team on the offense (as by the interception of a pass))

icing; icing the puck ((ice hockey) the act of shooting the puck from within your own defensive area the length of the rink beyond the opponent's goal)

Holonyms ("maneuver" is a part of...):

athletic game (a game involving athletic activity)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A move made to gain a tactical end

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

maneuver; manoeuvre; tactical maneuver; tactical manoeuvre

Hypernyms ("maneuver" is a kind of...):

move (the act of deciding to do something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "maneuver"):

artifice; ruse (a deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture))

measure; step (any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal)

gambit; ploy; stratagem (a maneuver in a game or conversation)

footwork (skillful maneuvering or dealing)

feint (any distracting or deceptive maneuver (as a mock attack))

device; gimmick; twist (any clever maneuver)

parking (the act of maneuvering a vehicle into a location where it can be left temporarily)

Sense 5

Meaning:

An action aimed at evading an opponent

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

evasive action; maneuver; manoeuvre

Hypernyms ("maneuver" is a kind of...):

evasion (the act of physically escaping from something (an opponent or a pursuer or an unpleasant situation) by some adroit maneuver)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "maneuver"):

airplane maneuver; flight maneuver (a maneuver executed by an aircraft)

straight-arm ((American football) the act of warding off a tackler by holding the arm fully extended with the hand against the opponent)

clinch ((boxing) the act of one boxer holding onto the other to avoid being hit and to rest momentarily)

• MANEUVER (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they maneuver    ... he / she / it maneuvers   
Past simple: maneuvered   
Past participle: maneuvered   
-ing form: maneuvering   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Direct the course; determine the direction of travelling

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

channelise; channelize; direct; guide; head; maneuver; manoeuver; manoeuvre; point; steer

Hypernyms (to "maneuver" is one way to...):

command; control (exercise authoritative control or power over)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "maneuver"):

park (maneuver a vehicle into a parking space)

corner; tree (force a person or an animal into a position from which he cannot escape)

channel (direct the flow of)

navigate; pilot (act as the navigator in a car, plane, or vessel and plan, direct, plot the path and position of the conveyance)

conn (conduct or direct the steering of a ship or plane)

starboard (turn to the right, of helms or rudders)

stand out (steer away from shore, of ships)

navigate (direct carefully and safely)

crab (direct (an aircraft) into a crosswind)

helm (be at or take the helm of)

pull over (steer a vehicle to the side of the road)

sheer (cause to sheer)

dock (maneuver into a dock)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

maneuverable (capable of maneuvering or changing position)

maneuverer (a person skilled in maneuvering)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Act in order to achieve a certain goal

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

maneuver; manoeuver; manoeuvre

Context example:

She maneuvered herself into the directorship

Hypernyms (to "maneuver" is one way to...):

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 3

Meaning:

Perform a movement in military or naval tactics in order to secure an advantage in attack or defense

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Synonyms:

maneuver; manoeuver; manoeuvre; operate

Hypernyms (to "maneuver" is one way to...):

go; move (have a turn; make one's move in a game)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "maneuver"):

jockey (compete (for an advantage or a position))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something PP
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

maneuver (a military training exercise)

 Context examples 

A surgical instrument designed to maneuver internal anatomic structures during laparoscopic procedures, usually to permit an unobstructed view of the area of interest.

(Laparoscopic Retractor, NCI Thesaurus)

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft performed a previously unscheduled maneuver this week to avoid a collision in the near future with Mars' moon Phobos.

(NASA Orbiter Steers Clear of Mars Moon Phobos, NASA)

Dawn has been using its ion propulsion system to maneuver to its first science orbit at Ceres, which it will reach on April 23.

(Dawn Glimpses Ceres' North Pole, NASA)

A series of maneuvers to determine the position and presenting part of the fetus with respect to the maternal pelvic canal in preparation for labor and the birth process.

(Assessment of Fetal Presentation, NCI Thesaurus)

Now that Dawn can reliably communicate with Earth again, mission controllers have programmed the maneuvers necessary for the next stage of the rendezvous, which they label the Ceres approach phase.

(Dawn Spacecraft Begins Approach to Dwarf Planet Ceres, NASA)

Because the maneuver is effort and volume dependent, the patient must be encouraged to perform as vigorously as clinically feasible.

(Decreased Peak Expiratory Flowrate, NCI Thesaurus)

This maneuver she repeated several times, to the great amusement of a black-eyed young gentleman lounging in the window of a building opposite.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

An instrument designed to facilitate inspection of the trachea and bronchi to carry out diagnostic (taking specimens for culture and biopsy) or therapeutic (removing a foreign object) maneuvers.

(Bronchoscope, NCI Thesaurus)

Following orbit insertion, MAVEN will begin a six-week commissioning phase that includes maneuvering into its final science orbit and testing the instruments and science-mapping commands.

(Mars Mission Spacecraft Enters Orbit around Red Planet, NASA)

A test of lung function, the FEV6 is the volume exhaled during six seconds of a forced expiratory maneuver started from the level of total lung capacity.

(Forced Expiratory Volume in 6 Seconds, NCI Thesaurus)