maverick

1 of 2

noun

mav·​er·​ick ˈmav-rik How to pronounce maverick (audio)
ˈma-və-
1
: an unbranded range animal
especially : a motherless calf
2
: an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party

maverick

2 of 2

adjective

: characteristic of, suggestive of, or inclined to be a maverick

Did you know?

When a client gave Samuel A. Maverick 400 cattle to settle a $1,200 debt, the 19th-century south Texas lawyer had no use for them, so he left the cattle unbranded and allowed them to roam freely (supposedly under the supervision of one of his employees). Neighboring stockmen recognized their opportunity and seized it, branding and herding the stray cattle as their own. Maverick eventually recognized the folly of the situation and sold what was left of his depleted herd, but not before his name became synonymous with such unbranded livestock. By the end of the 19th century, the term maverick was being used to refer to individuals who prefer to blaze their own trails.

Examples of maverick in a Sentence

Noun Let him refind his inner rebel, the famous irreverent maverick, let the tiger out of the cage. Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal, 28–29 June 2008
In the Senate, however, he had established himself as a bright and prickly maverick, not averse to sharp criticism of his own party, its policies, and its leaders, most especially Bill Clinton. John Gregory Dunne, New York Review of Books, 13 June 2002
This, of course, is dangerous for the rest of us. With one successfully repatriated daughter, Papi might yank us all out of college and send us back. Not to mention that it's out and out creepy that Fifi, the maverick, is so changed. Julia Alvarez, How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents, 1991
there's always one maverick who has to go his own way Adjective Occasionally nerves and veins take maverick pathways and show up in unexpected places. Virginia Holman, Double Take, Winter 2002
Later British units, deprived of the opportunity for maverick expression by a revamped chain of UN command with a different political agenda, started spouting the organization's euphemisms that sought to paint every Bosnian side the same shade of guilty grey. Anthony Loyd, My War Gone By, I Miss It So, 1999
He was maverick enough, original-minded enough, however, to realize that he could do better than simply follow Murray's orders to the letter. Simon Winchester, The Professor and the Madman, 1998
George Sand's maverick views on marriage scandalized 19th-century French society.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Scientific progress often comes from mavericks who take great risks to champion alternative views. Axios, 30 Sep. 2024 Medvedev is a maverick and has a complicated relationship with the New York set. Tim Ellis, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024
Adjective
The design was by aviation legend Burt Rutan, known for his bold and often maverick creations. Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 27 Jan. 2023 Sinema has modeled her political approach on the maverick style of the late Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who alienated the grassroots of his party by sometimes crossing the aisle to work with Democrats. Time, 23 Jan. 2023 See all Example Sentences for maverick 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maverick.' 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

Noun and Adjective

Samuel A. Maverick †1870 American pioneer who did not brand his calves

First Known Use

Noun

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1886, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of maverick was in 1867

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Cite this Entry

“Maverick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maverick. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

maverick

noun
mav·​er·​ick
ˈmav-(ə-)rik
1
: an unbranded range animal
especially : a motherless calf
2
: an independent person who refuses to follow the usual standards or customs of the group
Etymology

Noun

named for Samuel A. Maverick 1803–1870 American pioneer

Word Origin
A lawyer named Samuel A. Maverick lived in southern Texas in the middle of the 19th century. In 1847 he acquired a farm with about 450 cattle. The cattle were never branded and were left to roam free. Eventually, the term maverick came to be used to name any unbranded cattle. Now maverick is most often used to speak of a person who acts in an individual way and refuses to be "branded" as a member of any particular group.

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