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maneuver

muh-NOO-ver /məˈnuːvər/

nounverbB2SATACTTOEFL

militarysportsgeneral

A movement or series of moves requiring skill and care; to carefully guide or manipulate.

Implies clever, agile, and deliberate movement designed to outwit an opponent or navigate a difficult obstacle.

The story behind the word. In the Middle Ages, a 'maneuver' was literally manual labor—working the land with one's hands. By the 18th century, the French military adopted the term to describe the highly coordinated, hand-drilled movements of troops on the battlefield.

Word relationships

movement: Movement is any change of position, while a maneuver is specifically skilled, planned, and purposeful.
stratagem: A stratagem is a clever scheme or trick, whereas a maneuver is the physical or operational execution of a move.

stagnation: Stagnation is a state of complete inactivity or failure to move.
blunder: A blunder is a clumsy, careless mistake, the opposite of a skilled maneuver.

Commonly confused with

manipulate: Manipulate implies controlling or influencing something deviously, while maneuver focuses on the physical or tactical movement.

Word family

maneuverability (noun): The quality of being easily steered or moved.

Collocations

tactical maneuver
room to maneuver
evasive maneuver
military maneuvers

Example sentences

"The commander ordered a daring night maneuver to bypass the enemy's heavily fortified front line." A tactical battlefield movement.
"It took several minutes to maneuver the massive truck into the narrow parking space." Driving a vehicle.

Memory hook

Think of a 'maneuver' as 'manually' operating a vehicle or army with extreme precision and skill. Maneuver is 'manual' movement done with 'mindful' skill.

When not to use

Do not use for simple, straight-line, or unthinking movements.

Fun facts

The spelling 'manoeuvre' is preferred in British English, while 'maneuver' is the standard American English spelling.