tactic

1 of 3

noun

tac·​tic ˈtak-tik 

1

: a device for accomplishing an end

2

: a method of employing forces in combat

tactic

2 of 3

adjective

: of or relating to arrangement or order

-tactic

3 of 3

adjective combining form

1

: of, relating to, or having (such) an arrangement or pattern

phonotactic

2

: showing orientation or movement directed by a (specified) force or agent

geotactic

Note: Adjectives formed with -tactic usually correspond to nouns ending in -taxis.

Example Sentences

Noun

an effective tactic for solving crimes

We may need to change tactics.

a specialist in naval tactics

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Modern sports medicine specialists often use ice baths as one tactic in a holistic plan to help athletes recover from physical injuries, for example. —Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 22 Mar. 2023

Police had placed 24 license plate readers at intersections around the city, a tactic intended to identify potential problem visitors. —Charles Rabin Miami Herald (tns), al, 22 Mar. 2023

Investors will be closely watching to see if Powell borrows that messaging tactic from the ECB: To carefully distinguish its inflation-fighting campaign from its work to contain financial system woes. —Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 21 Mar. 2023

Yet, despite there being a plethora of candidates hiring managers can chose from, all of whom need stability during the cost-of-living crises, this old-school tactic still won’t fly. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2023

Deputy City Attorney Odalo Ohiku called the last-minute purchase offer a stalling tactic. —Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2023

In other promo videos for the current season, Horan gave his best impression of Shelton's southern drawl, mimicking the seasoned coach's recruiting tactic. —Elise Brisco, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2023

This tactic, usually deployed to drum up excitement, was, by and large, unnecessary; the audience had come prepared to sing along to every word. —Carrie Battan, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2023

Another scare tactic is hanging reflective objects like strips of mylar tape (the material balloons are made of) or aluminum pie plates in a tree or on your eaves. —oregonlive, 11 Mar. 2023

Adjective

The strategy builds on the Biden administration’s existing practice of creating cybersecurity requirements for the pipeline and rail industries, a tactic previous administrations treated as taboo. —Kevin Collier, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2023

And so Gideon must depend on tactic No. 2: deadly force. —Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 28 Feb. 2023

The United States has accused Bukele’s government of negotiating with the country’s gangs before, a tactic other Salvadoran presidents also have pursued. —Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2023

That’s the tactic 52-year-old San Francisco resident Lucia Chang used to knock out her own dessert cravings. —Elizabeth Millard, Time, 18 Jan. 2023

Monday’s decision comes amid a national conversation around prohibiting the use of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal proceedings, a tactic critics have called a racist double standard and an infringement on First Amendment rights. —Kacey Cherry, CNN, 6 Oct. 2022

Exclusive content only for paying fans is a tactic other companies like Instagram have tried in an effort to entice creators to use the platform. —Mia Sato, The Verge, 13 Feb. 2023

Because of this tactic, innocent people spend decades in prison, otherwise good cases are derailed, and still others go unsolved. —Saul Kassin, Time, 16 Dec. 2022

Can the same tactic work in the war? Since the Russian invasion in February, millions of Ukrainians have poured into neighboring countries that are also contending with record rates of inflation caused in part by the war. —Liz Alderman, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from New Latin tactica "art of deploying troops in combat," borrowed from Greek taktikḗ (originally modifying téchnē "art, skill "), noun derivative from feminine of taktikós "of ordering or arranging, of ordering troops in combat"; in recent use also as back-formation from tactics — more at tactic entry 2

Adjective

borrowed from Greek taktikós "of ordering or arranging, of ordering troops in combat," from taktós "ordered, prescribed" (verbal adjective of tássein —Attic táttein— "to draw up in order [as troops, ships], post, station, place in order, prescribe, assess," of uncertain origin) + -ikos -ic entry 1

Note: The derivative noun tagḗ "line of battle" (and possibly Thessalian tāgós "commander") show that the base of the verb was tag-, which should have resulted in *tázein rather than tássein; the latter was presumably introduced from generalization of the voiceless consonant in the aorist and in derivatives such as taktós, táxis, etc. The base tag- has been compared with the Parthian title tgmdr (read as *taɣma-dára "order-giver"), Old Persian ham-ataxšata "they have put in order," Tocharian B tāś "commander," and (semantically much more distant) Lithuanian patogùs "convenient, comfortable," sutógti "to get married, ally oneself." R. Beekes proposes a verb *teh₂g-, invoking a law to delete the laryngeal in order to avoid positing a base with *a (Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2010).

Adjective combining form

borrowed from Greek -taktikos, after pairs such as prótaxis "placement in front, prefixing," protaktikós "used as a prefix" — more at tactic entry 2

First Known Use

Noun

1640, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1871, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tactic

• delaying tactic
• delay tactic

• delaying tactic
• delay tactic

Kids Definition

tactic

noun

tac·​tic

ˈtak-tik

1

: a method of arranging and moving forces in combat

2

: a planned action for a particular purpose

Medical Definition

tactic

adjective

tac·​tic ˈtak-tik 

1

: regular in structure of repeating units in a polymer

2

: of, relating to, or showing biological taxis