plural jockeys
1
: a person who rides or drives a horse especially as a professional in a race
2
: a person who operates or works with a specified vehicle, device, object, or material
a bus jockey
pencil jockeys
jockeyed; jockeying
1
a
: to maneuver or manipulate by adroit or devious means
was jockeyed out of the job
b
: to change the position of by a series of movements
jockey a truck into position
3
: to deal shrewdly or fraudulently with
1
: to maneuver for advantage
—often used in the phrase jockey for position
2
: to act as a jockey
Examples of jockey in a Sentence
Verb
There was a lot of political jockeying at the fund-raiser.
The driver carefully jockeyed the truck into a narrow space in the crowded parking lot.
Recent Examples on the Web
Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2023
Queen of sappy love songs Not just a relationship guru, Delilah can jockey disc with the best of them.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023
Photo Illustration: Madeline Marshall BRUSSELS—Turmoil in Russia presents Kyiv and its Western backers with the prospect that instability in Moscow will make the Ukraine conflict even deadlier as leaders jockey to retain power.
—Daniel Michaels, WSJ, 25 June 2023
Soon-to-retire jockey Frankie Dettori and his wife Catherine Dettori, with horse trainer Jamie Snowden and his wife Lucy Snowden sat in the fourth and final carriage of the procession.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 24 June 2023
Now, as the United States and China jockey for more influence in the South Pacific, that balancing act has become fraught.
—Christopher Cottrell, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2023
Notable • Rispoli won the day’s first two races aboard Lottery Pick ($4.40) and Sweet Mother Merry (23.80) to move past Hector Berrios into second in the jockey standings.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2023
Baltimore County Police used cellphone records and video surveillance footage to link 18-year-old jockey Bryson Butterfly to an armed robbery that ended in the fatal shooting of his 17-year-old friend, according to charging papers filed in court.
—Cassidy Jensen, Baltimore Sun, 26 July 2023
The concept of street karaoke was popularized in Korea, when BJ, broadcast jockey, Lee Changhyun started livestreaming his karaoke show on the streets of Hongdae, a neighborhood of Seoul known for its arts and youth culture.
—Ada Tseng, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2023
Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Sep. 2023
Saraland have been jockeying for the top spot in the AL.com High School Power 25 high school football rankings all season.
—Ben Thomas | Bthomas@al.com, al, 18 Sep. 2023
For months, lawmakers from Colorado and Alabama jockeyed to get the administration to choose their state, and Biden's selection resulted in swift denouncements from Alabama lawmakers, including Rogers, who accused the president of making this decision with political motivations.
—Mike Brest, Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2023
A number of descendants of the COVID variant omicron are jockeying for dominance in Texas.
—Marin Wolf, Dallas News, 25 Aug. 2023
If anything, candidates are now jockeying to land further to the right of Trump on the border and other immigration issues.
—Michelle Hackman, WSJ, 24 Aug. 2023
Now that Trump has been indicted four times in four separate cases — most recently, on Monday in Fulton County, Georgia — prosecutors have started jockeying with one another to determine when the trials will be held.
—Alan Feuer, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2023
But the public battle between the studios and the Writers Guild of America, plus the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ members jockeying behind the scenes, gives little confidence that this will be over anytime soon.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2023
Private investment is flooding into companies that are jockeying for advantage in emerging green industries.
—New York Times, 17 Aug. 2023
See More
Noun
Hernandez finished with 39 wins to claim his second straight summer meeting jockey title.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2023
Queen of sappy love songs Not just a relationship guru, Delilah can jockey disc with the best of them.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023
Photo Illustration: Madeline Marshall BRUSSELS—Turmoil in Russia presents Kyiv and its Western backers with the prospect that instability in Moscow will make the Ukraine conflict even deadlier as leaders jockey to retain power.
—Daniel Michaels, WSJ, 25 June 2023
Soon-to-retire jockey Frankie Dettori and his wife Catherine Dettori, with horse trainer Jamie Snowden and his wife Lucy Snowden sat in the fourth and final carriage of the procession.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 24 June 2023
Now, as the United States and China jockey for more influence in the South Pacific, that balancing act has become fraught.
—Christopher Cottrell, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2023
Notable • Rispoli won the day’s first two races aboard Lottery Pick ($4.40) and Sweet Mother Merry (23.80) to move past Hector Berrios into second in the jockey standings.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2023
Baltimore County Police used cellphone records and video surveillance footage to link 18-year-old jockey Bryson Butterfly to an armed robbery that ended in the fatal shooting of his 17-year-old friend, according to charging papers filed in court.
—Cassidy Jensen, Baltimore Sun, 26 July 2023
The concept of street karaoke was popularized in Korea, when BJ, broadcast jockey, Lee Changhyun started livestreaming his karaoke show on the streets of Hongdae, a neighborhood of Seoul known for its arts and youth culture.
—Ada Tseng, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2023
Verb
Following the interruption during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was jockeying for talent.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Sep. 2023
Saraland have been jockeying for the top spot in the AL.com High School Power 25 high school football rankings all season.
—Ben Thomas | Bthomas@al.com, al, 18 Sep. 2023
For months, lawmakers from Colorado and Alabama jockeyed to get the administration to choose their state, and Biden's selection resulted in swift denouncements from Alabama lawmakers, including Rogers, who accused the president of making this decision with political motivations.
—Mike Brest, Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2023
A number of descendants of the COVID variant omicron are jockeying for dominance in Texas.
—Marin Wolf, Dallas News, 25 Aug. 2023
If anything, candidates are now jockeying to land further to the right of Trump on the border and other immigration issues.
—Michelle Hackman, WSJ, 24 Aug. 2023
Now that Trump has been indicted four times in four separate cases — most recently, on Monday in Fulton County, Georgia — prosecutors have started jockeying with one another to determine when the trials will be held.
—Alan Feuer, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2023
But the public battle between the studios and the Writers Guild of America, plus the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ members jockeying behind the scenes, gives little confidence that this will be over anytime soon.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2023
Private investment is flooding into companies that are jockeying for advantage in emerging green industries.
—New York Times, 17 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jockey.' 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
Jockey, Scots nickname for John
First Known Use
Noun
1643, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1708, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3
Phrases Containing jockey
Dictionary Entries Near jockey
Cite this Entry
“Jockey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jockey. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
jockey
1 of 2 noun
jock·ey
ˈjäk-ē 
plural jockeys
1
: one who rides a horse especially as a professional in a race
2
: one who operates something
a gas-pump jockey
jockey
2 of 2 verb
jockeyed; jockeying
1
: to ride a horse as a jockey
2
: to move or manage skillfully or cleverly or so as to gain advantage
jockey a truck into position
jockeying for position
More from Merriam-Webster on jockey
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for jockey
Nglish: Translation of jockey for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of jockey for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about jockey
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share