maneuver 1 of 2

maneuver

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word maneuver different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of maneuver are artifice, feint, ruse, stratagem, trick, and wile. While all these words mean "an indirect means to gain an end," maneuver suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty.

last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy

Where would artifice be a reasonable alternative to maneuver?

While in some cases nearly identical to maneuver, artifice implies ingenious contrivance or invention.

the clever artifices of the stage

When is it sensible to use feint instead of maneuver?

The meanings of feint and maneuver largely overlap; however, feint implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent.

a feint toward the enemy's left flank

When is ruse a more appropriate choice than maneuver?

The words ruse and maneuver can be used in similar contexts, but ruse stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression.

the ruses of smugglers

In what contexts can stratagem take the place of maneuver?

The words stratagem and maneuver are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, stratagem implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy.

the stratagem-filled game

When would trick be a good substitute for maneuver?

In some situations, the words trick and maneuver are roughly equivalent. However, trick may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end.

the tricks of the trade

When could wile be used to replace maneuver?

Although the words wile and maneuver have much in common, wile suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements.

used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of maneuver
Verb
Trump explained his rationale for the mid-decade maneuver, arguing that his margin of victory in the Lone Star State justifies changing the maps. Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 5 Aug. 2025 The two sides eventually agreed to send the extra $40 million to school districts right away, using a technical accounting maneuver, which Lamont traditionally has decried, to skirt the spending cap issue. Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 2 Aug. 2025
Noun
Each one knows how to maneuver in tight spaces, stay calm in loud situations, smile, play instruments, and adapt to anything. Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 3 Aug. 2025 The analysts said that since the tariffs begin on Aug. 7, there is still room to maneuver. Ganesh Rao,jenni Reid, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for maneuver
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maneuver
Verb
  • Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can't be manipulated for political purposes.
    Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
  • Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’t be manipulated for political purposes.
    David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 3 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Brokers and dealers working more like Reynier in the days of La Réserve would take small parcels from the secondary market or negotiate parcels directly with distilleries.
    Mark Littler, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
  • President Donald Trump ordered federal employees back to the office five days a week in January, though many had negotiated remote work arrangements and some had even moved far away from their offices.
    Alana Semuels, Time, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Given the dynamics of last year’s presidential contest, in which worries about rising costs of living played a role in Californian Kamala Harris’s loss to Donald Trump, California’s very high costs for housing and other fundamental living needs, would be fodder for attacks on Newsom in 2028.
    Dan Walters, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2025
  • Due date for individuals and businesses impacted by recent terrorist attacks in Israel.
    Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • That phonetic play alone already signals one of the project’s theoretical subterfuges: that of exploring the most advanced conditions of the subject’s annihilation as a foundational precondition for artistic authority.
    Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
  • An especially Jewish theme in the seventeenth century was not only the necessity but the dignity of subterfuge; to have lived in the shadows of another people’s empire had a nobility of its own, captured in this exquisite and ambivalent image.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 19 July 2025
Verb
  • Teams handle data all the time—but in many companies, the steps teams must take to stay compliant aren’t built into daily work.
    Jodi Daniels, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • The difficulty of raising a teenager is deftly handled as well, and shows how putting yourself in someone else’s shoes is still the best way to understand other perspectives.
    Katie Grant, Parents, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • As a fixer, Miguel has arranged interviews with El Mayo’s inner circle.
    Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Interested buyers, their representatives or brokers can arrange for special tours.
    Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Beijing has also softened its regulatory assault on Chinese technology companies and the property sector.
    Jacky Wong, WSJ, 6 Feb. 2023
  • Zelenskyy has warned for weeks that Moscow aims to step up its assault after about two months of virtual stalemate along the front line that stretches across the south and east.
    Reuters, NBC News, 31 Jan. 2023
Noun
  • However, the key to the ruse is that the figures in the left column are fabrications.
    Robert Goulder, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
  • This is one of those movies where a simple plan with a simple objective gets complicated as the characters go to elaborate lengths to pull off a ruse.
    Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 26 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Maneuver.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maneuver. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.

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