Library / English Dictionary

MANEUVER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An action aimed at evading an opponent

Synonyms:

evasive action; maneuver; manoeuvre

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

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"):

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

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)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A move made to gain a tactical end

Synonyms:

maneuver; manoeuvre; tactical maneuver; tactical manoeuvre

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

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

move (the act of deciding to do something)

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

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

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

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 3

Meaning:

A deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill

Example:

the runner was out on a play by the shortstop

Synonyms:

maneuver; manoeuvre; play

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

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"):

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)

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

obstruction (getting in someone's way)

jugglery (the performance of a juggler)

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)

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))

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

athletic game (a game involving athletic activity)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A military training exercise

Synonyms:

maneuver; manoeuvre; simulated military operation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

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 5

Meaning:

A plan for attaining a particular goal

Synonyms:

maneuver; manoeuvre; tactic; tactics

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

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

plan of action (a plan for actively doing something)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Synonyms:

maneuver; manoeuver; manoeuvre; operate

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

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)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Direct the course; determine the direction of travelling

Synonyms:

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

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

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 3

Meaning:

Act in order to achieve a certain goal

Example:

She maneuvered herself into the directorship

Synonyms:

maneuver; manoeuver; manoeuvre

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

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

Credits

 Context examples: 

A test of lung function, the FEV1 is the volume exhaled during the first second of a forced expiratory maneuver started from the level of total lung capacity.

(Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second, NCI Thesaurus)

A manual method of maneuvering the fetus from outside the mother's abdomen to convert a breech into a cephalic presentation.

(External Fetal Rotation, NCI Thesaurus)

The baby behemoths were active, capable of a wider array of maneuvers than adult members of their species, and didn't need parental care after hatching.

(Newly discovered baby Titanosaur sheds light on dinosaurs' early lives, NSF)

Learn how to do back blows, the Heimlich maneuver (abdominal thrusts), and CPR.

(Choking, NIH)

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is for people whose hearts or breathing has stopped and the Heimlich maneuver is for people who are choking.

(First Aid, NIH)

To accurately fly by and point the spacecraft's instruments at a smorgasbord of targets, engineers used trajectory correction maneuver, or TCM, thrusters that are identical in size and functionality to the attitude control thrusters, and are located on the back side of the spacecraft.

(Voyager 1 Fires Up Thrusters After 37 Years, NASA)

This is the first collision avoidance maneuver that the MAVEN spacecraft has performed at Mars to steer clear of Phobos.

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

The maneuver did not succeed as well as she expected, however, for though just in the act of setting fire to a funeral pyre, the Professor dropped his torch, metaphorically speaking, and made a dive after the little blue ball.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)