1
as in manipulates
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently
maneuvered the conversation so as to avoid the touchy subject of her divorce
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in negotiates
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care
successfully maneuvered a way to get him to ask her to the dance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 maneuvers
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
Laura is able to shove Cherry hard enough to pry Daniel away from her and lock her in the room, but Cherry jumps out of the balcony, sacrificing her ankle, and maneuvers herself back into the house.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
In the next part of the scene, Gabriel maneuvers the plane into a roll, forcing Ethan, who is still clinging to the seatbelt, to slam into the side of the plane.
—EW.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Verb
But at these Olympics, they’ve been seen from above, as a drone operator — a former ski jumper himself — maneuvers a drone behind a skier at the moment of liftoff, high above the ground.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
Laura is able to shove Cherry hard enough to pry Daniel away from her and lock her in the room, but Cherry jumps out of the balcony, sacrificing her ankle, and maneuvers herself back into the house.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
In the next part of the scene, Gabriel maneuvers the plane into a roll, forcing Ethan, who is still clinging to the seatbelt, to slam into the side of the plane.
—EW.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maneuvers
Verb
-
Just like Rodgers did a decade earlier, Prescott manipulates the flat defender (circled in red) and hits CeeDee Lamb in stride just behind the linebacker.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Throughout the process, the robot simultaneously navigates, avoids obstacles, and manipulates objects without human guidance.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Wasserman also has a live events unit, a speaker’s bureau that books speakers for corporate events and conferences, and a rights sales business that negotiates and sells sponsorships and media rights, including stadium naming rights.—
Luisa Beltran,
Sportico.com,
25 Feb. 2026
-
The federal government negotiates directly with vaccine manufacturers to get preferable pricing, and then purchases vaccine products to distribute to participating clinics across the country.—
Sophia Newcomer,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Sirens sounded across Israel as a precautionary measure, alerting the public to potential missile attacks, the IDF confirmed.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Feb. 2026
-
So far, Iran’s proxies have not carried out retaliatory attacks tied to the strikes against Iran, though that could change.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This oscillation between panoramic distance and tactile proximity animates the forest as a sentient protagonist, one who occasionally addresses visitors in a woman’s voice.—
Anel Rakhimzhanova,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The measure addresses key issues such as electricity and water use needed to maintain the data centers and generally requires public notice of when plans are filed for a data center in the region.—
Jim Turner,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Various accusations were leveled against the owners of both groups during the course of the hearing, with two operators of Cesar Rainey Street being implicated in drug trafficking and arson plots separately.—
Paul Flahive,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Feb. 2026
-
As Helen plots revenge and Madeline clings to her rapidly fading star, their world is suddenly turned upside down by Viola Van Horn, a mysterious woman with a secret that’s to die for.—
Kirby Adams,
Louisville Courier Journal,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The New York Colored American reported that some offers of short-term work for Black men — moving livestock to or from Kentucky, for example — were ruses that ended with kidnappings.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Many suspect a spam call and don't pick up the phone, leading foundation staff to sometimes devise ruses.—
Kelly Meyerhofer,
jsonline.com,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Bluebird Cafe handles breakfast.—
Audrey T. Williams,
Mercury News,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The Acadia handles well for its size and feels surprisingly agile when turning and reversing.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The official alleged that the paper engineers a finding by excluding evidence and designing a study with a bias toward showing no association.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Big Tech now engineers a perpetual state of insecurity by creating relentless technological churn, rendering our skills and safety measures obsolete, only to then sell us the tools to catch up.—
Vivian Toh,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Maneuvers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maneuvers. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
