noun, plural jock·eys.
- a person who rides horses professionally in races.
- Informal. a person who pilots, operates, or guides the movement of something, as an airplane or automobile.
verb (used with object), jock·eyed, jock·ey·ing.
- to ride (a horse) as a jockey.
- Informal. to operate or guide the movement of; pilot; drive.
- to move, bring, put, etc., by skillful maneuvering: The movers jockeyed the sofa through the door.
- to trick or cheat: The salesman jockeyed them into buying an expensive car.
- to manipulate cleverly or trickily: He jockeyed himself into office.
verb (used without object), jock·eyed, jock·ey·ing.
- to aim at an advantage by skillful maneuvering.
- to act trickily; seek an advantage by trickery.
noun
- a person who rides horses in races, esp as a profession or for hire
verb
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- (tr)to ride (a horse) in a race
- (intr)to ride as a jockey
- (intr 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)
- to trick or cheat (a person)
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.
1520s, “boy, fellow,” originally a Scottish proper name, variant of Jack. The meaning “person who rides horses in races” first attested 1660s.