maverick

Meaning

Adj

1. Unbranded.
2. Showing independence in thoughts or actions.

Noun

1. An unbranded range animal.
2. (broadly) Anything dishonestly obtained.
3. (broadly) One who is unconventional or does not abide by rules.
4. (broadly) One who creates or uses controversial or unconventional ideas or practices.
5. A person in the military who became an officer by going to college while on active duty as an enlisted person.
6. (slang) A queen and a jack as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em.

Verb

1. (US) To take an unbranded range animal.
2. (broadly) To seize without a legal claim.

Synonyms

nonconformist

unorthodox

rebel

dissenter

irregular

loner

mustang

lone wolf

malcontent

one who acts independently

iconoclast

oddball

queer fellow

enfant terrible

slick

stray

tramp

individualist

eccentric

wanderer

Translations

individualista

individualiste

rebelde

rebelde

inconformista

Individualist

Querkopf

anticonformista

inconformista

dissident

ανορθόδοξος

αδέσποτος

ανυπότακτος

maverick

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈmævəɹɪk/

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”.