Definition of MAVERICK

maverick

Plural: mavericks

Noun

  • someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action
  • an unbranded range animal (especially a stray calf); belongs to the first person who puts a brand on it
  • An unbranded range animal.
  • Anything dishonestly obtained.
  • One who is unconventional or does not abide by rules.
  • One who creates or uses controversial or unconventional ideas or practices.
  • A person in the military who became an officer by going to college while on active duty as an enlisted person.
  • A queen and a jack as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em.

Adjective Satellite

  • independent in behavior or thought
    • "maverick politicians"

Adj

  • Unbranded.
  • Showing independence in thoughts or actions.

Verb

  • To take an unbranded range animal.
  • To seize without a legal claim.

Examples

  • "Among historians he was a maverick because of his belief that history is meaningless."
  • "He made a maverick decision.  She is such a maverick person."

Origin / Etymology

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”.

Scrabble Score: 19

maverick is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
maverick is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
maverick is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 22

maverick is a valid Words With Friends word