jockey

1 of 2

noun

jock·​ey ˈjä-kē How to pronounce jockey (audio)
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

jockey

2 of 2

verb

jockeyed; jockeying

transitive verb

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
2
a
: to ride or drive (a horse) as a jockey
b
3
: to deal shrewdly or fraudulently with

intransitive verb

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
Noun
Leading jockey’s riding at Gulfstream who will ride in the Fountain of Youth include Luis Saez (Dornoch), Jose Ortiz (Locked), Irad Ortiz, Jr. (Speak Easy), John Velazquez (Victory Avenue) and Tyler Gaffalione (Real Mach0). Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 As foreign service officers jockey and jive for influence, power, and a sense of significance, minorities, deprived of institutional support, are falling out of the ranks, victim to gaslighting and other adversities. Byjenny Abamu, Fortune, 29 Feb. 2024 Pittsburgh plays Fordham and New York University competes against Georgetown. 1957 — Johnny Longden becomes the first jockey in history to reach 5,000 victories. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Juan Hernandez returns as Speaking Scout’s jockey at Del Mar. And trainer Chad Brown, who has shipped in 13 Turf Festival winners since 2016, has sent Francesco Clemente west from Aqueduct. Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Nov. 2023 In the human categories, Bill Mott was top trainer, Irad Ortiz Jr. took the jockey award and Godolphin won in both the owner and breeders categories. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2024 The film focuses on Matar, the youngest child of a Saudi family of camel jockeys. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Nov. 2023 Juan Hernandez, who has been Baffert’s main jockey of late with Velazquez riding at the Belmont at Aqueduct meeting, will get off Baffert’s other horse, Defunded, to ride National Treasure. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2023 The cost cutting comes as the company jockeys for the lead in an AI arms race, with Google slated to announce its AI goals for the year later this week. Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 18 Jan. 2024
Verb
This season's figure could still grow with the Steelers, Packers, Saints and others still jockeying for spots. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2024 Those are big political shoes to fill, and the race remains unpredictable, analysts said, with three or four parties closely jockeying near the top of polls in the homestretch. Claire Moses, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2023 Other teams are jockeying for lottery odds, or on the opposite side of the spectrum, home-court advantage in the playoffs. Esfandiar Baraheni, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 Already, her co-chair, Drew McKissick, is jockeying for the leadership role. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 8 Feb. 2024 As the city has become more purple, residents say politics has created a divide, with each side jockeying for more power on the City Council. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2023 In earnest, the Hornets spent the past few months jockeying between Washington and Bridges, debating which player to move forward with. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 9 Feb. 2024 According to 538's latest polling averages, Trump is leading in Iowa by about 25 points, with Haley and DeSantis jockeying for a distant second. Maryalice Parks, ABC News, 10 Dec. 2023 The Islamists of Hamas also hated Oslo and jockeyed for power among Palestinians, by refusing to abide by Arafat’s promise to renounce terrorism. Emily Bazelon, New York Times, 20 Nov. 2023

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of jockey was in 1643

Dictionary Entries Near jockey

Cite this Entry

“Jockey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jockey. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

jockey

1 of 2 noun
jock·​ey ˈjäk-ē How to pronounce jockey (audio)
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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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