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

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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
Cage, an American maverick whose philosophical, socially conscious works at the time were based on chance, mapped out an elaborate scheme for a show that would bring the entirety of European opera onto the same stage — at the same time. Joshua Barone, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 His image as an industry maverick also acts as a suit of armor against critics. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2024 There is a character called the Mule, who’s kind of a maverick, who throws predictions off course. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2024 Country music icon Reba McEntire, R&B maverick John Legend and hip-hop superstar Chance the Rapper returned to compete for musical dominance. USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024 New agricultural mavericks include big players with political connections. Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 In Next Goal Wins, Michael Fassbender stars as the unconventional maverick coach hired by the team to turn their fortunes around. Helen Murphy, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2024 Nearly into his ninth decade in life, that’s one mission that the elder maverick shows no sign of changing. Russell Flannery, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 So special that top-selling female gospel vocal group The Clark Singers and cutting-edge maverick Laurie Anderson were also cheered with equal enthusiasm, despite the fact their music seems to come from different sonic worlds altogether. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Feb. 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 But the true landmark was Pierre Balmain’s Vent Vert, created by maverick female perfumer Germaine Cellier (also the mastermind behind Robert Piguet’s showstopping Fracas) in 1947. Town & Country, 19 Dec. 2022 When Musk ran PayPal in 1999, the company was in a position to disrupt the payments business because of a new technology—the internet—and the maverick attitude of its executive team. Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2022 Even in New Hampshire, where maverick candidates in both parties have found success over the decades, longtime Republicans wondered whether there was a market for a Cheney candidacy within the G.O.P. Jonathan Martin, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2022 This week’s visit will be scrutinized for clues about the trajectory of a more maverick Saudi foreign policy. Stephen Kalin, WSJ, 8 Dec. 2022 As the label carved out a space for pop’s true maverick weirdos, Harle became notable for his classically pristine pop production, evident on collaborations with Charli XCX and Carly Rae Jepsen. Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 5 Dec. 2022 But even more remarkable is the fact that he's done all this without losing his maverick status. Katie Rife, EW.com, 7 Nov. 2022

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 19 Mar. 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 that were left in charge of a single slave with no experience as a cowboy. 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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