maverick
Syllables: ma·ve·rickUK/ˈmævəɹɪk//ˈmævəɹɪk/
maverick adjective: unbranded.
Adjective
maverick (comparative more maverick, superlative most maverick)
- Unbranded.
- Occasionally some young men who have no cattle of their own will take part in these expeditions, or they will give their services by the year to receive a pro rata of all the maverick cattle that may be found. [Quoted from The Texas New Yorker, pages 110–111.]1875, “Investigating Commission of the Northern Frontier”, in Reports of the Committee of Investigation Sent in 1873 by the Mexican Government to the Frontier of Texas. […], New York, N.Y.: Baker &...
- But I would rather have maverick cattle, they are more accustomed to range conditions. My cattle from the registered herd have not done too well.1963, Harry T. Getty, The San Carlos Indian Cattle Industry (Anthropological Papers of the University of Arizona; no. 7), Tucson, Ariz.: University of Arizona Press, →OCLC, page 65
- Showing independence in thoughts or actions.
- He made a maverick decision. She is such a maverick person.
- A maverick person tends to be wild, unsettled, and irresponsible, often an outlaw not bound by the rules and mores of society.2003, Leon Claire Metz, “Maverick”, in The Encyclopedia of Lawmen, Outlaws, and Gunfighters, New York, N.Y.: Facts On File, →ISBN, page 170, column 2
Noun (1)
maverick (plural mavericks)
- An unbranded range animal.
- In this distribution, care is taken to leave not only those which bear the owner's mark and brand, but his due proportion of the mavericks* that have been found upon the expedition. [footnote: *The term "maverick" is applied in this country to all animals that have neither mark nor brand upon them...1872, W. G. Kingsbury, “Cattle-raising in Western Texas. How It is Conducted—Profits of the Business, &c.”, in A Brief Description of Western Texas, […], San Antonio, Tx.: Herald Steam Job Printing...
- Under this law 2,035 mavericks (orphan calves) were discovered and disposed of by the round-up foremen. Formerly the custom was to brand mavericks with the brand of the owner of that portion of the range where they were found. Under the new law, all mavericks are branded with the association brand...1884, The National Live-stock Journal, volume 1, Chicago, Ill.: George W. Rust & Co., →OCLC, page 55, column 3
- Anything dishonestly obtained.
- One who is unconventional or does not abide by rules.
- Among historians he was a maverick because of his belief that history is meaningless.
- As a voter, I’m a maverick, don’t belong to any party. I believe that John Doe is the best available man for county commissioner, Richard Roe for sheriff, Joe Hicks for governor—but John is a Democrat, Dick is a Republican, and Joe is—well, something else.1924 May 3, Collier’s, volume 73, Springfield, Oh.: Crowell-Collier Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 38
- Synonyms:
- heteroclite, individualist, lone gunman, nonconformist, rebel
- One who creates or uses controversial or unconventional ideas or practices.
- We then drift back into our old habits, glorify efficiency, and smile knowingly at the mavericks within the faculty who want the administration to take democracy seriously.1947, Norman Burns, The Administration of Higher Institutions under Changing Conditions (Institute for Administrative Officers of Higher Institutions; Proceedings), Chicago, Ill.: University of...
- Florence Nightingale would have been perceived as a maverick during her early career, because she was prioritizing hygiene when everybody else involved in healthcare was focused on other things, such as surgery and pills.2008, Simon Singh, Edzard Ernst, “How Do You Determine the Truth?”, in Trick or Treatment?: Alternative Medicine on Trial, [London]: Transworld Publishers, →ISBN, pages 36–37
- A person in the military who became an officer by going to college while on active duty as an enlisted person.
- They had been working for and with each other for a very long period and their tolerance for “mavericks” was very high, especially if these mavericks continued to get promoted.2013, John T. Kuehn, “The Navy, Treaties, and Innovation”, in Agents of Innovation: The General Board and the Design of the Fleet that Defeated the Japanese Navy, Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute...
- A queen and a jack as a starting hand in Texas hold ’em.
Verb
maverick (third-person singular simple present mavericks, present participle mavericking, simple past and past participle mavericked)
- To take an unbranded range animal.
- The court permitted the State to prove, over defendant's objections, that Thedford met Noon Tucker and Calvery driving the yearling over to Bachelor's for delivery. Thedford inquired of Noon “if that [meaning the yearling] was one he had mavericked?”1887, A. M. Jackson; A. M. Jackson, Jr., Reports of Cases Argued and Adjudged in the Court of Appeals of Texas, Austin, Tx.: Hutchings Printing House, →OCLC, page 514
- For the capricious and uncertain favor of this the only marriageable young lady in the district, all the susceptible and unattached cowboys (of which class the population almost wholly consisted) strove together eagerly and without ceasing, mavericking right and left everything they could lay their...1894 July, Alice MacGowan, “The Heraldry of the Plains”, in McClure’s Magazine, volume III, number 2, New York, N.Y.; London: S[amuel] S[idney] McClure, Limited, →OCLC, page 115
- To seize without a legal claim.
Proper noun capitalized: Maverick
Maverick
- A surname.
- A male given name.
- Any of several individual secondary school and sports team mascots, most of which are in the United States.
Noun (2) capitalized: Maverick
Maverick (plural Mavericks)
- A member of one of the sports teams with a mascot called Maverick.
- Someone who attends, or has attended in the past, one of these schools, especially one involved in the sports teams.
maverick meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
maverick in Hindi
- showing independence in thoughts or actions
- गैर पारंपरिक gair pāramparik
maverick in Tamil
- தான்தோன்றியாய்த் திரிபவர்
maverick in Marathi
- मॅव्हेरिक, मावेरिक, मेव्हेरिक
maverick in Urdu
- آزاد خیال
More languagesFewer languages
- maverick in Bengali
- ম্যাভেরিক, মাভেরিক, ম্যাভরিক
- maverick in Telugu
- మావెరిక్, మేవెరిక్, మేవరిక్
- maverick in Malayalam
- സ്വതന്ത്രചിന്താഗതിക്കാരൻ, സർവ്വതന്ത്രസ്വതന്ത്രനായ ബുദ്ധിജീവി, അച്ചടക്കമില്ലാത്ത വ്യക്തി, ഒറ്റയാൻ
- maverick in Kannada
- ಇಡುಕುಗ
- maverick in Punjabi
- ਮੈਵਰਿਕ, ਮਾਵੇਰਿਕ, ਮਾਵਰਿਕ
- maverick in Gujarati
- માવેરિક, મેવેરિક, મેવરિક
- maverick in Odia
- ମାଭେରିକ୍, ମେଭେରିକ୍, ମାୱେରିକ୍
- maverick in Nepali
- मावेरिक, म्याभेरिक, मेवेरिक
Examples of maverick in a sentence
- Attempts to regulate the distribution of maverick cattle throughout the 1880s affected particularly the access of cowboys to mavericks.2016, Victoria Lamont, “Western Violence and the Limits of Sentimental Power”, in Westerns: A Women’s History, Lincoln, Neb.; London...
- As resident jester at the maverick journalism outlet The Free Press, Nellie Bowles scours the news for the absurd and hypocritical, and then skewers the best of the worst in her column, TGIF.2025 February 26, Roy Rivenburg, “Nellie Bowles of The Free Press punctures pretension left and right”, in The Christian Science Monitor...
- Under this law 2,035 mavericks (orphan calves) were discovered and disposed of by the round-up foremen.1884, The National Live-stock Journal, volume 1, Chicago, Ill.: George W. Rust & Co., →OCLC, page 55, column 3:
- Luck and thrift, a cool head, and a telescopic eye for mavericks had raised him from cowboy to be a cowman.1907, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “A Call Loan”, in Heart of the West, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company for...
Synonyms of maverick
- heteroclite
- individualist
- lone gunman
- nonconformist
- rebel
- eccentric
- free spirit
- deviant
- deviate
- misfit
1 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Antonyms
Forms of maverick
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more maverick |
| superlative | most maverick |
| Noun | |
| plural | mavericks |
| plural | Mavericks |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | mavericks |
| present participle | mavericking |
| past participle | mavericked |
| past | mavericked |
Origin of maverick
Named after Texan lawyer and politician Samuel Maverick (1803–1870), who refused to brand his cattle. For probable origin and meaning, see Maverick. The poker noun sense (“a queen and a jack as a starting hand in Texas hold ’em”) may be from the theme song of the US Western television series Maverick (1957–1962), which says of the eponymous protagonist that “[g]amblin’ is his game” and that he is “livin’ on jacks and queens”.
The surname is most famously associated with Samuel Maverick, a rancher from Texas who did not brand his cattle. The surname is of uncertain origin, but known to date as far back as the 1500s in Devon, England. Its meaning is a matter of conjecture, with connections to the name Maurice being unprovable.
Words formed from maverick
Phrases with maverick
Questions about maverick
- What does maverick mean?
- Maverick means unbranded.
- What is maverick in Hindi?
- Maverick in Hindi is गैर पारंपरिक (gair pāramparik). See Maverick meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use maverick in a sentence?
- Attempts to regulate the distribution of maverick cattle throughout the 1880s affected particularly the access of cowboys to mavericks.
- What part of speech is maverick?
- Maverick can be an adjective, a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce maverick?
- Maverick is pronounced /ˈmævəɹɪk/ (UK).
Words near maverick in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: maverick (page history and authors); Maverick (page history and authors); maverick (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); maverick (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); maverick (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); maverick (Bengali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); maverick (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); maverick (Olam, E.K. Kurup corpus) (dataset and license); maverick (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); maverick (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); maverick (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); maverick (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); maverick (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-maverick.ogg, en-au-maverick.ogg.
Cite this entry: “maverick.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/maverick. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.