manoeuvre

[ muh-noo-ver ]

noun

, ma·noeu·vred, ma·noeu·vring.

1. Chiefly British. a variant of maneuver.

manoeuvre

/ məˈnuːvə /

noun

1. a contrived, complicated, and possibly deceptive plan or action

   political manoeuvres

2. a movement or action requiring dexterity and skill
3. 1. a tactic or movement of one or a number of military or naval units
   2. plural tactical exercises, usually on a large scale
4. a planned movement of an aircraft in flight
5. any change from the straight steady course of a ship

verb

1. tr to contrive or accomplish with skill or cunning
2. intr to manipulate situations, etc, in order to gain some end

   to manoeuvre for the leadership

3. intr to perform a manoeuvre or manoeuvres
4. to move or deploy or be moved or deployed, as military units, etc

Derived Forms

• maˈnoeuvrer, noun
• maˈnoeuvring, noun
• maˌnoeuvraˈbility, noun
• maˈnoeuvrable, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of manoeuvre¹

C15: from French, from Medieval Latin manuopera manual work, from Latin manū operāre to work with the hand

Example Sentences

It found that when MV Biter began to manoeuvre behind the Hebridean Princess the ship’s speed exceeded industry guidelines.

From BBC

It found the pilot had not worked with tugs like Biter before and "did not understand" what the tug would be doing on the manoeuvre.

From BBC

It was unclear whether anyone understood that there were "extreme risks" associated with MV Biter’s manoeuvre behind the cruise ship.

From BBC

Vitaliy and his men have no fixed post – their weaponry for shooting down the Shaheds is carried on the back of a flatbed truck, allowing them to manoeuvre quickly.

From BBC

They manoeuvre joysticks on what look like large retro game-controllers, as the arms pull used nuclear fuel rods – still glowing hot and highly radioactive - from the heavy metal containers in which they arrived.

From BBC