Southwestern U.S.an unbranded calf, cow, or steer, especially an unbranded calf that is separated from its mother.
a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates: a modern-dance maverick.
a person pursuing rebellious, even potentially disruptive, policies or ideas: You can't muzzle a maverick.
Maverick,an electro-optically guided U.S. air-to-ground tactical missile for destroying tanks and other hardened targets at ranges up to 15 miles (24 km).
adjective
unorthodox, unconventional, or nonconformist: a maverick fiscal conservative willing to raise taxes.
Origin of maverick
An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; named after Samuel A. Maverick (1803–70), Texas pioneer who left his calves unbranded
The term maverick surged in popularity, propelled by the presidential bid in the late 2000s of US Senator John McCain, then considered a “political maverick” of the Republican Party. Given the word's Wild West roots, maverick has always had an edgy, rebellious connotation: it originally referred to unbranded cattle that strayed from the herd, putting their ownership in doubt. It was then a short step in going from this original meaning to applying the word to a person who strayed from and did not follow the thinking of a group he or she belonged to, or who rebelled against accepted ideas or to a herd mentality. Maverick thus came to generally mean an individualistic and independent thinker. In popular culture, as exemplified in the movies Maverick (1994) and Top Gun (1986), the term often describes colorful gamblers and risk takers. Depending on context, then, maverick can be applied to a pioneer who bucks current trends, or to a wild and potentially reckless loose cannon.
popular references for maverick
—Dallas Mavericks: American professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas, a member of the National Basketball Association (NBA). — Maverick : popular American TV series (1957–62) set in the Wild West that inspired a film of the same name (1994). —Maverick: Nickname and call sign of ace fighter pilot, played by Tom Cruise, in the film Top Gun (1986). —Ford Maverick: Stylish, youthfully designed mid-size car made in the late 1960s and ‘70s in North America and Brazil.
Quotations related to maverick
"Gradually the term [maverick] came to mean any unbranded cattle of unknown ownership. Such animals were fair game for the first branding iron. "
-Richard W. Slatta The Cowboy Encyclopedia (1994)
"The rugged individualist is too often mistaken for the misfit, the maverick, the spoilsport, the sore thumb. "
-Lewis H. Lapham Money and Class in America: Notes and Observations on Our Civil Religion (1988)
"Maverick is a word which appeals to me more than misfit. Maverick is active, misfit is passive. "
-Alan Rickman (actor) Alan Rickman's Quotes Facebook (2008)
"Listen closely to maverick entrepreneurs…, and you quickly realize that they don't sound like traditional executives. "
-William C. Taylor and Polly G. Labarr Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win (2006)
That might be difficult to conceive at first — Goldwater, “maverick” McCain, and the latter-day celebrity of Sheriff Joe Arpaio have solidified the state as the conservative cowboy of American pop culture.
Arizona Is The Democrats’ Purple Splotch In The Sunbelt|Clare Malone (clare.malone@fivethirtyeight.com)|September 24, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Policies and control processes became so foundational to our work that those who were great at coloring within the lines were promoted, while many creative mavericks felt stifled and went to work elsewhere.
What if Your Company Had No Rules? (Bonus Episode)|Maria Konnikova|September 12, 2020|Freakonomics
To be bold, to be a maverick, to stretch beyond established limits, is the stuff of inspiration.
From Havana to Hero: Diana Nyad’s 35-Year Quest|Diana Nyad|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then, one day, a maverick doctor gave him a miracle too fantastic to believe.
The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, Aug 3, 2014|The Daily Beast|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, the former five-term congressman said, “They just look at me as a maverick curmudgeon.”
Tom Tancredo Loses GOP Primary For Colorado Governor|Ben Jacobs|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, Pressler is already figuring out ways that he can leverage his power as a maverick senator.
Larry Pressler Shoots for a Maverick Senate Comeback|Ben Jacobs|January 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Democrats cheer the return of McCain as maverick, Republicans not so much.
Does Maverick McCain Matter?|Eleanor Clift|May 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Go down and tell her, Maverick, when you are in that direction.
Hope Mills|Amanda M. Douglas
Before were done chewing on this maverick youll agree that Im right, for itll get better with age.
The Broncho Rider Boys Along the Border|Frank Fowler
Is there something in the gait, something in the poise of the head, to which the memory of Maverick so cleaves?
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 95, September 1865|Various
"She will be unwilling to return with me then," said Maverick, in a troubled manner.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 103, May, 1866|Various
Maverick died while preparing to follow his church, but Warham settled with his parishioners at Windsor, and died there in 1670.
Great Epochs in American History, Vol. II|Various
British Dictionary definitions for maverick
maverick
/ (ˈmævərɪk) /
noun
(in US and Canadian cattle-raising regions) an unbranded animal, esp a stray calf
a person of independent or unorthodox views
(as modifier)a maverick politician
Word Origin for maverick
C19: after Samuel A. Maverick (1803–70), Texas rancher, who did not brand his cattle