jockey

American  

[jok-ee] / ˈdʒɒk i /

noun

plural

jockeys

1. a person who rides horses professionally in races.

2. Informal. a person who pilots, operates, or guides the movement of something, as an airplane or automobile.

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verb (used with object)

jockeyed, jockeying

1. to ride (a horse) as a jockey.

2. Informal. to operate or guide the movement of; pilot; drive.

3. to move, bring, put, etc., by skillful maneuvering.

   The movers jockeyed the sofa through the door.

4. to trick or cheat.

   The salesman jockeyed them into buying an expensive car.

5. to manipulate cleverly or trickily.

   He jockeyed himself into office.

verb (used without object)

jockeyed, jockeying

1. to aim at an advantage by skillful maneuvering.

2. to act trickily; seek an advantage by trickery.

jockey British  

/ ˈdʒɒkɪ /

noun

1. a person who rides horses in races, esp as a profession or for hire

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verb

1. 1. (tr) to ride (a horse) in a race

   2. (intr) to ride as a jockey

2. to try to obtain an advantage by manoeuvring, esp literally in a race or metaphorically, as in a struggle for power (esp in the phrase jockey for position )

3. to trick or cheat (a person)

Other Word Forms

• jockeyish adjective
• jockeylike adjective
• jockeyship noun

Etymology

Origin of jockey

First recorded in 1520–30 for an earlier sense; special use of Jock + -ey ²

Example Sentences

"I just pinch myself every time I ride him. He's in a league of his own," jockey Purton said after coming home in a record time of 1min 19.36sec.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

During the day, she exercised the horses and learned how to be a jockey.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

The intense scrutiny under which the characters in “Bugonia” place each other as they jockey for position demands extreme trust and listening.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2026

His landmark achievement arrived little over three years after he contested his first race as an apprentice jockey in November 2022.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2025

Once a jockey let it into his head, it would rise up over him on the track, paralyzing him.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand