tactical

adjective

tac·​ti·​cal ˈtak-ti-kəl How to pronounce tactical (audio)
1
: of or relating to combat tactics: such as
a(1)
: of or occurring at the battlefront
a tactical defense
a tactical first strike
(2)
: using or being weapons or forces employed at the battlefront
tactical missiles
b
of an air force : of, relating to, or designed for air attack in close support of friendly ground forces
2
a
: of or relating to tactics: such as
(1)
: of or relating to small-scale actions serving a larger purpose
(2)
: made or carried out with only a limited or immediate end in view
b
: adroit in planning or maneuvering to accomplish a purpose
tactically adverb

Examples of tactical in a Sentence

They gained a tactical advantage by joining with one of their competitors. He made a serious tactical error. The planes provided tactical air support for the soldiers on the ground.
Recent Examples on the Web While tactical steps like whether to do a Roth conversion or the proper age to begin taking Social Security tend to steal the limelight, one of the best places to start your plan is improving the quality of your decisions. Roger Whitney, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 Officers took him into custody Saturday afternoon following a chase that culminated in a tactical maneuver, which caused Hopper to crash his car. Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 23 Oct. 2024 Few Hamas figures today have the same popular appeal, credibility and tactical, political and strategic chops that Sinwar had. Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024 Building his unauthorized wall, Gates said, was a case of tactical urbanism, as citizen initiatives that bypass city bureaucracy or goad it to action are called in the planning business. Siddhartha Mitter, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tactical 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tactical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

tactic entry 1 or tactic entry 2 + -al entry 1

Note: An early use by the mathematician and occultist John Dee in his preface to Henry Billingsley's translation of Euclid's Elements (1570) is perhaps directly from Greek taktikós + -al entry 1.

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tactical was in 1570

Dictionary Entries Near tactical

Cite this Entry

“Tactical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tactical. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

tactical

adjective
tac·​ti·​cal ˈtak-ti-kəl How to pronounce tactical (audio)
: of or relating to tactics
tactically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on tactical

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