- the usual US spelling of manoeuvre
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ma•neu•ver /məˈnuvɚ/USA pronunciation
n.
v.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- [countable]
- a planned movement of troops, warships, etc.
- Military maneuvers, [plural] a series of military exercises used as practice for war:The troops are out on maneuvers.
- a clever or skillful movement, action, or trick;
a crafty tactic;
a ploy:another maneuver to gain control of the company.
v.
- Militaryto move or change the position of by a maneuver: [~ + object]She maneuvered the truck around the fallen tree.[no object]He maneuvered out of the way of the fallen tree.
- to scheme;
make a plot;
intrigue:[no object]He maneuvered for the job for a year.
ma•neu•ver
(mə no̅o̅′vər),USA pronunciation n., v., -vered, -ver•ing.
n.
v.t.
v.i.
ma•neu′ver•a•ble, adj.
ma•neu′ver•a•bil′i•ty, n.
ma•neu′ver•er, n.
n.
- a planned and regulated movement or evolution of troops, warships, etc.
- Militarymaneuvers, a series of tactical exercises usually carried out in the field by large bodies of troops in simulating the conditions of war.
- an act or instance of changing the direction of a moving ship, vehicle, etc., as required.
- an adroit move, skillful proceeding, etc., esp. as characterized by craftiness;
ploy:political maneuvers.
v.t.
- Militaryto change the position of (troops, ships, etc.) by a maneuver.
- to bring, put, drive, or make by maneuvers:He maneuvered his way into the confidence of the enemy.
- to manipulate or manage with skill or adroitness:to maneuver a conversation.
- to steer in various directions as required.
v.i.
- to perform a maneuver or maneuvers.
- to scheme;
intrigue.
- Middle French, as above
- Latin manū operāre to do handwork, equivalent. to manū (ablative of manus hand) + operāre to work (see operate); replacing earlier maanorre manual labor
- French manoeuvre, Middle French manuevre handwork, derivative of Old French manuvrer
- 1470–80 for an earlier sense; 1750–60 for current noun, nominal sense;
ma•neu′ver•a•bil′i•ty, n.
ma•neu′ver•er, n.
- 4. stratagem, tactic, ruse, artifice; procedure, scheme, plot, plan. 6. scheme, contrive, intrigue. 7. handle, finesse. 10. plot, plan.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
maneuver /məˈnuːvə/ n , vb
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
ma•noeu•vre
(mə no̅o̅′vər),USA pronunciation n., v.t., v.i., -vred, -vring.
- British Terms[Chiefly Brit.]maneuver.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
manoeuvre, US maneuver /məˈnuːvə/ n
- a contrived, complicated, and possibly deceptive plan or action
- a movement or action requiring dexterity and skill
- a tactic or movement of one or a number of military or naval units
- (plural) tactical exercises, usually on a large scale
- a planned movement of an aircraft in flight
- any change from the straight steady course of a ship
- (transitive) to contrive or accomplish with skill or cunning
- (intransitive) to manipulate situations, etc, in order to gain some end
- (intransitive) to perform a manoeuvre or manoeuvres
- to move or deploy or be moved or deployed, as military units, etc
'maneuver' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
manoeuvre
- airplane spin
- answer
- axel
- backdrop
- barrel roll
- belly flop
- burke
- cape work
- chapel
- checkmate
- choreograph
- circumnavigate
- crab
- crabbing
- cutback
- cutie
- delaying action
- démarche
- device
- dislocate
- drive
- end run
- execute
- fetch
- fight
- fishtail
- fork
- gambit
- get-out
- hat trick
- head dip
- Heimlich maneuver
- hook check
- icing
- Immelmann
- iron
- let
- level-off
- loop
- loop-the-loop
- mainour
- manure
- massage
- miscue
- move
- nontarget
- operation
- outmaneuver