jockey

[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.
verb (used with object), jockeyed, jockeying.
3.
to ride (a horse) as a jockey.
4.
Informal. to operate or guide the movement of; pilot; drive.
5.
to move, bring, put, etc., by skillful maneuvering:
The movers jockeyed the sofa through the door.
6.
to trick or cheat:
The salesman jockeyed them into buying an expensive car.
7.
to manipulate cleverly or trickily:
He jockeyed himself into office.
verb (used without object), jockeyed, jockeying.
8.
to aim at an advantage by skillful maneuvering.
9.
to act trickily; seek an advantage by trickery.
Origin
1520-30; special use of Jock + -ey2
Related forms
jockeylike, jockeyish, adjective
jockeyship, noun
Examples from the web for jockey
  • Streaming sites are evolving daily as studios and platforms jockey for position.
  • Live performers or a disc jockey provide music for after-dinner dancing.
British Dictionary definitions for jockey

jockey

/ˈdʒɒkɪ/
noun
1.
a person who rides horses in races, esp as a profession or for hire
verb
2.
  1. (transitive) to ride (a horse) in a race
  2. (intransitive) to ride as a jockey
3.
(intransitive) often foll by for. 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)
4.
to trick or cheat (a person)
Word Origin
C16 (in the sense: lad): from name Jock + -ey
Word Origin and History for jockey
n.

1520s, "boy, fellow," originally a Scottish proper name, variant of Jack. The meaning "person who rides horses in races" first attested 1660s.

v.

1708, "trick, outwit, gain advantage," from jockey (n.) perhaps from its former additional sense of "horse trader" (1680s). Meaning "to ride a horse in a race" is from 1767. Related: Jockeyed; jockeying.

Slang definitions & phrases for jockey

jockey

noun

The driver or pilot of any vehicle: airplane jockey/ tank jockey (1912+)

Related Terms

blip jockey, desk jockey, hogger