maneuver

English

Alternative forms

manoeuvre (Commonwealth, Irish)
maneuvre, manoeuver (nonstandard), manœuver (obsolete)
manœuvre (British)

Etymology

From Middle French manœuvre (“manipulation, maneuver”) and manouvrer (“to maneuver”), from Old French manovre (“handwork, manual labor”), from Medieval Latin manopera, manuopera (“work done by hand, handwork”), from manu (“by hand”) + operari (“to work”). First recorded in the Capitularies of Charlemagne (800 AD) to mean "chore, manual task", probably as a calque of the Frankish *handwerc (“hand-work”). Compare Old English handweorc, Old English handġeweorc, German Handwerk. The verb is a doublet of the verb manure.

Pronunciation

(US) IPA^(key): /məˈnuːvɚ/
- Audio (US) (file)
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /məˈnuːvə/
- Audio (UK) (file)
Hyphenation: ma‧neu‧ver
Rhymes: -uːvə(ɹ)

Noun

maneuver (plural maneuvers) (American spelling)

(military) The planned movement of troops, vehicles etc.; a strategic repositioning; (later also) a large training field-exercise of fighting units. [from 18th c.]
The army was on maneuvers.
Joint NATO maneuvers are as much an exercise in diplomacy as in tactics and logistics.
Any strategic or cunning action; a stratagem. [from 18th c.]
- 1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, III.v.7:
  “This,” cried he, “is a manœuvre I have been some time expecting: but Mr. Harrel, though artful and selfish, is by no means deep.”
A movement of the body, or with an implement, instrument etc., especially one performed with skill or dexterity. [from 18th c.]
(medicine) A specific medical or surgical movement, often eponymous, done with the doctor's hands or surgical instruments. [from 18th c.]
The otorhinolaryngologist performed an Epley maneuver and the patient was relieved of his vertigo.
A controlled (especially skillful) movement taken while steering a vehicle. [from 18th c.]
Parallel parking can be a difficult maneuver.

Translations

planned movement of troops

Armenian: մանևր (hy) (manewr)
Belarusian: манёўр m (manjóŭr), мане́ўр m (manjéŭr), манэ́ўр m (manéŭr)
Bulgarian: маньо́вър m (manjóvǎr), мане́вра (bg) f (manévra)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 機動／机动 (zh) (jīdòng)
Czech: manévr m
Finnish: manööveri (fi), operaatio (fi)
French: manœuvre (fr) f
Georgian: მანევრი (manevri)
German: Manöver (de) n
Hebrew: תִּמְרוֹן‎ (he) m (timron)
Japanese: 機動 (ja) (きどう, kidō)
Korean: 기동(機動) (ko) (gidong)
Macedonian: мане́вар m (manévar)
Polish: manewr (pl) m
Russian: манёвр (ru) m (manjóvr), мане́вр (ru) m (manévr)
Slovak: manéver m
Slovene: manever m
Ukrainian: мане́вр m (manévr)

a large training exercise of military troops

Arabic: مُنَاوَرَة‎ f (munāwara)
Armenian: զորավարժություն (hy) (zoravaržutʿyun)
Belarusian: манёўры m pl (manjóŭry), мане́ўры m pl (manjéŭry), манэ́ўры m pl (manéŭry), вучэ́нні n pl (vučénni)
Bulgarian: маньо́ври m pl (manjóvri), мане́ври (bg) f pl (manévri)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 演習／演习 (zh) (yǎnxí)
Czech: manévry pl, cvičení (cs) n
Danish: manøvre c, øvelse c
Dutch: manoeuvre (nl) m or f, (veld)oefening
Esperanto: manovro
Finnish: sotaharjoitus (fi)
French: manœuvre (fr) f, exercice (fr) m
Galician: manobra f
German: Manöver (de) n, Übung (de) f
Greek: ελιγμός (el) m (eligmós)
Hebrew: תַּרְגִּיל‎ (he) m (targíl)
Hindi: अभ्यास (hi) m (abhyās)
Hungarian: hadgyakorlat (hu)
Italian: manovra (it) f, esercitazione (it) f
Japanese: 演習 (ja) (えんしゅう, enshū)
Korean: 연습(演習) (ko) (yeonseup), 련습(練習) (ko) (ryeonseup) (North Korea)
Latin: dēcursiō f
Macedonian: мане́вар m (manévar), вежба f (vežba)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: manøver m, øvelse m
Persian: رزمایش‎ (fa) (razmâyeš)
Polish: manewr (pl) m, ćwiczenia (pl) n pl
Portuguese: manobra (pt) f, exercício (pt) m
Romanian: manevră (ro) f, exercițiu (ro) n
Russian: манёвры m pl (manjóvry), мане́вры m pl (manévry), уче́ния (ru) n pl (učénija)
Slovak: manévre m pl, cvičenie n
Slovene: manever m, vaja f
Spanish: maniobra (es) f, ejercicio (es) m
Swedish: manöver (sv) c, övning (sv) c
Ukrainian: мане́ври m pl (manévry), навча́ння (uk) n pl (navčánnja)

a movement, often one performed with difficulty

Arabic: مُنَاوَرَة‎ f (munāwara)
Belarusian: манёўр m (manjóŭr), мане́ўр m (manjéŭr), манэ́ўр m (manéŭr)
Bulgarian: маньо́вър m (manjóvǎr), мане́вра (bg) f (manévra)
Czech: manévr m
Dutch: manoeuvre (nl) m or f
Esperanto: manovro
Estonian: manööver
Finnish: manööveri (fi), liike (fi)
French: manœuvre (fr) f
Galician: manobra f
German: Manöver (de) n
Greek: ελιγμός (el) m (eligmós)
Hebrew: תִּמְרוּן‎ (he) m (timrun)
Hungarian: hadművelet (hu), manőver (hu)
Italian: manovra (it) f
Malay: olah gerak (ms)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: manøver m
Persian: مانور‎ (fa) (mânovr)
Polish: manewr (pl) m
Portuguese: manobra (pt) f
Romanian: manevră (ro) f
Russian: манёвр (ru) m (manjóvr), мане́вр (ru) m (manévr)
Slovak: manéver m
Spanish: maniobra (es) f
Swedish: manöver (sv) c
Ukrainian: мане́вр m (manévr)

a medical procedure

Greek: χειρισμός (el) m (cheirismós)
Indonesian: manuver (id), perasat (id)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} manovra
Italian: ^{(please verify)} manovra (it) f
Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} manøveren
Romanian: ^{(please verify)} manevră (ro) f

Verb

maneuver (third-person singular simple present maneuvers, present participle maneuvering, simple past and past participle maneuvered) (American spelling)

(transitive, intransitive) To move (something, or oneself) carefully, and often with difficulty, into a certain position.
(figurative, transitive) To guide, steer, manage purposefully
(figurative, intransitive) To intrigue, manipulate, plot, scheme
The patriarch maneuvered till his offspring occupied countless key posts

Translations

to move carefully, and often with difficulty, into a certain position

Belarusian: манеўрава́ць impf (manjeŭravácʹ), манэўрава́ць impf (maneŭravácʹ)
Bulgarian: маневри́рам (bg) impf or pf (manevríram)
Czech: manévrovat impf
Dutch: manoeuvreren (nl), laveren (nl)
Esperanto: manovri
Finnish: manöveroida
French: manœuvrer (fr)
Galician: manobrar (gl)
German: manövrieren (de)
Greek: ελίσσω (elísso)
Hebrew: תִּמְרֵן‎ (he) m (timren)
Hungarian: manőverez (hu)
Italian: manovrare (it)
Maori: whakatakataka
Norwegian:
Bokmål: manøvrere
Polish: manewrować (pl) impf, balansować impf
Portuguese: manobrar (pt)
Romanian: manevra (ro)
Russian: маневри́ровать (ru) impf (manevrírovatʹ), сманеври́ровать (ru) pf (smanevrírovatʹ)
Slovak: manévrovať impf
Spanish: maniobrar (es)
Swedish: manövrera (sv)
Ukrainian: маневрува́ти impf (manevruváty)

to guide, steer, manage purposefully

Greek: ελίσσομαι (el) (elíssomai)
Polish: manewrować (pl) impf
Swedish: manövrera (sv)

(intransitive) to intrigue, manipulate, plot, scheme

Dutch: manoeuvreren (nl), intrigeren (nl)
Galician: manipular (gl)
Greek: ελίσσομαι (el) (elíssomai)
Polish: manewrować (pl) impf
Portuguese: manipular (pt)
Swedish: manövrera (sv), intrigera (sv)

Anagrams

maneuvre