maverick

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

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Examples: maverick in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

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

Then there are the menswear mavericks, the guys who either don't care or care so much, that their Met Gala fits defy dress code, convention, and sometimes, description (armor?

— matt sebra, GQ, "The Most Memorable Met Gala Menswear Looks of All Time," 6 May 2018
There have always been mavericks who disapproved of eating meat, like Saint Catherine of Siena who, in the 14th century, disavowed all food but raw vegetables.

— ligaya mishan, New York Times, "The Golden Age of Crudités," 8 Feb. 2018
Alsop was known as a bon vivant and a maverick, designing colorful and expressive modernist buildings that took playfulness to another level.

— lauren ro, Curbed, "Remembering ‘maverick’ British architect Will Alsop," 15 May 2018
Of all the planets, Dewhirst explains, Uranus is the maverick, the planet of revolution, sudden change, and innovation.

— refinery29.com, "Uranus Is Moving Into Taurus — & That’s Actually Kind Of A Big Deal," 14 May 2018
Mahathir, a maverick in the early days of his political career who survived expulsion from the dominant United Malays National Organization party, was the first commoner to become prime minister of Malaysia.

— Washington Post, "Mahathir wants to rule Malaysia again, shakes up election," 3 May 2018
Rohrabacher, once a speechwriter for President Reagan, has long thought of himself as a maverick, demonstrated by his fervent support for Russia and marijuana legalization.

— christine mai-duc, latimes.com, "In an already tough election year, Dana Rohrabacher is struggling with his own party," 5 Apr. 2018
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

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.

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.

Origin and Etymology of maverick

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1867

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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.