manoeuvre

[ muh-noo-ver ]

noun, verb (used with or without object),ma·noeu·vred, ma·noeu·vring.
  1. Chiefly British. a variant of maneuver.

Words Nearby manoeuvre

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use manoeuvre in a sentence

  • Rather than higher inflation, tumbling oil prices point to reduced price pressure and more room for manoeuvre for central bankers.

  • He even had to manoeuvre daily how to escape him, and violent scenes were of constant occurrence between them.

    Eric, or Little by Little | Frederic W. Farrar
  • The sun had disappeared below the horizon, and the shades of evening had set in, before this manoeuvre had been accomplished.

    Newton Forster | Captain Frederick Marryat
  • Preferred rather to shift, manoeuvre and negotiate; which he did in a most vigilant, adroit and masterly manner.

  • But it was soon evident that no manoeuvre was intended, and that the Major was taking the direct road homeward.

    Peveril of the Peak | Sir Walter Scott
  • No manoeuvre could mislead the clear judgment that presided serenely in that soul of fire.

    The Broken Sword | Dennison Worthington

British Dictionary definitions for manoeuvre

manoeuvre

US maneuver

/ (məˈnuːvə) /


noun
  1. a contrived, complicated, and possibly deceptive plan or action: political manoeuvres

  2. 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

  1. a planned movement of an aircraft in flight

  2. any change from the straight steady course of a ship

verb
  1. (tr) to contrive or accomplish with skill or cunning

  2. (intr) to manipulate situations, etc, in order to gain some end: to manoeuvre for the leadership

  1. (intr) to perform a manoeuvre or manoeuvres

  2. to move or deploy or be moved or deployed, as military units, etc

Origin of manoeuvre

1
C15: from French, from Medieval Latin manuopera manual work, from Latin manū operāre to work with the hand

Derived forms of manoeuvre

  • manoeuvrable or US maneuverable, adjective
  • manoeuvrability or US maneuverability, noun
  • manoeuvrer or US maneuverer, noun
  • manoeuvring or US maneuvering, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012