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maverick

ma·ve·rick

UK/ˈmævəɹɪk/ US/ˈmævəɹɪk/ uncommon slang us
noun (2) adjective (1)

noun

1.

someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action

Synonyms
2.

an unbranded range animal (especially a stray calf); belongs to the first person who puts a brand on it

adjective

1.

independent in behavior or thought

  • “she led a somewhat irregular private life”
  • “maverick politicians”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

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”.

Phrases

  • black sheep
  • lone gunman
  • lone wolf
  • loose cannon
  • march to the beat of a different drum
  • maverick brand

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.