plural jockeys
1
: a person who rides or drives a horse especially as a professional in a race
2
: a person who operates or works with a specified vehicle, device, object, or material
a bus jockey
pencil jockeys
jockeyed; jockeying
1
a
: to maneuver or manipulate by adroit or devious means
was jockeyed out of the job
b
: to change the position of by a series of movements
jockey a truck into position
3
: to deal shrewdly or fraudulently with
1
: to maneuver for advantage
—often used in the phrase jockey for position
2
: to act as a jockey
Examples of jockey in a Sentence
Verb
There was a lot of political jockeying at the fund-raiser.
The driver carefully jockeyed the truck into a narrow space in the crowded parking lot.
Recent Examples on the Web
Danny Horn, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2024
Characters jockey for flattering media coverage and argue about advancing their own narratives both for vanity and for the sake of a fragile nation.
—Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Notable • Two leading jockeys have been hit with three-day suspensions.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Nov. 2023
The United Kingdom, for example, pledged to spend hundreds of millions of pounds to purchase chips for researchers and developers to pursue breakthroughs and remain at the cutting edge of the industry as nations jockey for a leading role in AI.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 24 Mar. 2024
Activist fight The announcement also comes as activist investors jockey to take more control of the brand.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 27 Feb. 2024
Affirmed, jockey Steve Cauthen and trainer Laz Barrera became immortalized after beating Alydar by a head in the Belmont.
—Brooks Warren, The Courier-Journal, 20 Jan. 2024
What is also true is how new technologies jockey to replace old ones.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 30 Dec. 2023
That point has been getting lost as some automakers and groups jockey to weaken EPA rules, said Albert Gore, the executive director of EV trade group the Zero Emission Transportation Association.
—Angela Dewan, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2024
Republicans are already jockeying for consideration March 16, 2023
Never heard of her, gentle readers?
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Despite Elizabeth being uniquely disharmonious, her particular brand of chaos feels very true to New York’s creative world, in which antiquated systems reign supreme and difficult personalities are always jockeying for space.
—Elaina Patton, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2024
And so, while various zoos and conservationists around the world jockeyed for Holst and the zoo to allow Marius to live, Holst stood by his decision and explains it in rather clinical terms for Kestner’s camera.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024
The Lakers entered Sunday 5-4 since the All-Star break, leading to them jockeying with the Golden State Warriors for the Nos. 9 and 10 spots in the Western Conference standings the last few weeks.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 11 Mar. 2024
Players are fighting for jobs in Florida and Arizona, with some of baseball's top prospects looking to impress the big-league coaches alongside veterans jockeying for playing time.
—Jesse Yomtov, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
In Iowa, a similar scene is playing out, with Haley jockeying for second place alongside DeSantis while Trump still leads by double digits.
—Nicholas Kerr, ABC News, 27 Nov. 2023
Beyond the transportation tax, the statewide propositions could affect the calculus and jockeying over the other two.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024
Noun
Three scheming siblings jockey for money and power in The Little Foxes, a stirring melodrama starring Bette Davis as the villainous Regina.
—Danny Horn, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2024
Characters jockey for flattering media coverage and argue about advancing their own narratives both for vanity and for the sake of a fragile nation.
—Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Notable • Two leading jockeys have been hit with three-day suspensions.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Nov. 2023
The United Kingdom, for example, pledged to spend hundreds of millions of pounds to purchase chips for researchers and developers to pursue breakthroughs and remain at the cutting edge of the industry as nations jockey for a leading role in AI.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 24 Mar. 2024
Activist fight The announcement also comes as activist investors jockey to take more control of the brand.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 27 Feb. 2024
Affirmed, jockey Steve Cauthen and trainer Laz Barrera became immortalized after beating Alydar by a head in the Belmont.
—Brooks Warren, The Courier-Journal, 20 Jan. 2024
What is also true is how new technologies jockey to replace old ones.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 30 Dec. 2023
That point has been getting lost as some automakers and groups jockey to weaken EPA rules, said Albert Gore, the executive director of EV trade group the Zero Emission Transportation Association.
—Angela Dewan, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024
Verb
The Warriors are still jockeying to climb up the play-in standings.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2024
Republicans are already jockeying for consideration March 16, 2023
Never heard of her, gentle readers?
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Despite Elizabeth being uniquely disharmonious, her particular brand of chaos feels very true to New York’s creative world, in which antiquated systems reign supreme and difficult personalities are always jockeying for space.
—Elaina Patton, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2024
And so, while various zoos and conservationists around the world jockeyed for Holst and the zoo to allow Marius to live, Holst stood by his decision and explains it in rather clinical terms for Kestner’s camera.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024
The Lakers entered Sunday 5-4 since the All-Star break, leading to them jockeying with the Golden State Warriors for the Nos. 9 and 10 spots in the Western Conference standings the last few weeks.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 11 Mar. 2024
Players are fighting for jobs in Florida and Arizona, with some of baseball's top prospects looking to impress the big-league coaches alongside veterans jockeying for playing time.
—Jesse Yomtov, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
In Iowa, a similar scene is playing out, with Haley jockeying for second place alongside DeSantis while Trump still leads by double digits.
—Nicholas Kerr, ABC News, 27 Nov. 2023
Beyond the transportation tax, the statewide propositions could affect the calculus and jockeying over the other two.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jockey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near jockey
Cite this Entry
“Jockey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jockey. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jockey
1 of 2 noun
jock·ey
ˈjäk-ē 
plural jockeys
1
: one who rides a horse especially as a professional in a race
2
: one who operates something
a gas-pump jockey
jockey
2 of 2 verb
jockeyed; jockeying
1
: to ride a horse as a jockey
2
: to move or manage skillfully or cleverly or so as to gain advantage
jockey a truck into position
jockeying for position
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