Main Entry:

¹ma·neu·ver

Pronunciation:

\mə-ˈnü-vər, -ˈnyü-\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French manœuvre, from Old French maneuvre work done by hand, from Medieval Latin manuopera, from manu operare to perform manual labor — more at manure

Date:

1758

1 a: a military or naval movement b: an armed forces training exercise ; especially : an extended and large-scale training exercise involving military and naval units separately or in combination —often used in plural2: a procedure or method of working usually involving expert physical movement3 a: evasive movement or shift of tactics b: an intended and controlled variation from a straight and level flight path in the operation of an airplane4 a: an action taken to gain a tactical end b: an adroit and clever management of affairs often using trickery and deception

synonyms see trick