maverick

noun mav·er·ick \ ˈmav-rik , ˈma-və- \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of maverick

1 : an unbranded range animal; especially : a motherless calf

2 : an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party

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Examples of maverick in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of maverick from the Web

The maverick forward's services were highly sought after by a string of clubs worldwide, with Catalan super heavyweights Barcelona eventually winning the race to seal his signature.

— SI.com, "Big to Bigger: 8 Players Who Moved From Good to Great Clubs," 4 Apr. 2018
Nate Berkus, a recent California transplant, was feeling good about his definition of a maverick.

— chris gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, "Donald Glover, Kumail Nanjiani, Kay Cannon Brace Bitterly Cold L.A. to Party With Esquire," 21 Feb. 2018
The former San Diego theater maverick Bartlett Sher re-energized this Rodgers & Hammerstein classic on Broadway a decade ago; now SDMT takes on the surprisingly timely piece.

— james hebert, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Spring arts 2018: 10 things to watch in theater this season," 25 Mar. 2018
But not the International Spy Museum, open until 7 p.m. If the closures wasn’t sad enough, fried chicken and doughnut mavericks Astro Doughnuts will be closed in D.C. and Virginia.

— james tennent, Newsweek, "Winter Storm Toby: What's Still Open in D.C., New York and Boston?," 21 Mar. 2018
Zablocki is the rare athlete who is able to pull off quality races in astounding quantities, emerging as a maverick of the American distance running scene.

— lindsay crouse, New York Times, "Is Chris Zablocki the Best Extreme Marathoner?," 16 Mar. 2018
Drummond is quite the maverick and has also developed an alpine touring ski shop at Black.

— brian irwin, BostonGlobe.com, "Black Mountain, N.H., might just be the best kept secret in the Northeast," 14 Mar. 2018
Some cowboys started their own, smaller herds by putting their own brands on mavericks—calves that had slipped unbranded through the roundups—a practice that was, for a time, legal.

— eliza mcgraw, Smithsonian, "The Tragedy of Cattle Kate," 12 Mar. 2018
And while the signature truncated silhouette of his suits initially raised a few eyebrows, his maverick sensibility soon spurred a revolution among style-conscious men.

— kristina o’neill, WSJ, "WSJ. Magazine Editor’s Letter: Strike A Chord," 8 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'maverick.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of maverick

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1867

See Words from the same year

maverick Synonyms

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

apiary, bantam, calico, girth, hogwash, mast, rut

maverick

adjective mav·er·ick \ ˈmav-rik , ˈma-və- \

Definition of maverick

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

Examples of maverick in a Sentence

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 of maverick from the Web

That used to be what set the Raiders apart, their maverick culture.

— scott ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, "On quarterbacks, mascots and broadcasts," 7 Apr. 2018
Connecting to the maverick independence that fueled America’s emergence will serve the 21st century United States; trying to punish China will not.

— zachary karabell, WIRED, "Why Trump's Misguided China Tariffs Won't Help the US," 31 Mar. 2018
Like Spranger, Cusumano is a maverick Republican officeholder, ready to part ways with either party over a principle.

— bill laitner, Detroit Free Press, "Ousting Macomb County clerk Spranger from plum job rests on: Did she lie?," 19 Mar. 2018
People who knew me from my maverick days in the Legislature and a decade earlier figured there would be quite a train wreck with a political odd couple like Andrus and Otter in the Statehouse.

— cynthia sewell and rocky barker, idahostatesman, "Risch holds up spending bill, angry over naming of wilderness after former rival Andrus | Idaho Statesman," 22 Mar. 2018
But on Saturday, 1.7 million South Australians will vote in what many are describing as the most exciting electoral race in a generation, as maverick insurgents look to overturn the state's traditional two-party political system.

— royce kurmelovs, CNN, "Political mavericks shake South Australia out of its two-party torpor," 15 Mar. 2018
After Givenchy retired from his storied house in 1995, maverick designers John Galliano and Alexander McQueen would sit at the French fashion house.

— elizabeth wellington, Philly.com, "Thank you Givenchy for making the little black dress hot," 15 Mar. 2018
In a dramatic move, a maverick Democrat in the state Senate who is facing intense political pressure for her recusal in the upcoming chief justice vote will not seek re-election this fall.

— neil vigdor, courant.com, "Slossberg Won't Seek Re-election To State Senate," 9 Mar. 2018
As well, the appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Detroit of Macomb County's maverick elected clerk Karen Spranger was a reminder to court watchers: Don't even think of going to federal court without a lawyer.

— bill laitner, Detroit Free Press, "Macomb County clerk Karen Spranger brings her conspiracy claims before a federal judge," 27 Feb. 2018