tactical maneuver
Planned combat action
A tactical maneuver is a calculated movement or action designed to gain advantage in a specific situation.
The term originates in military contexts—repositioning troops, flanking an enemy, executing a retreat—but extends to any strategic action in competitive or adversarial settings: The merger was a tactical maneuver to block competitors.
A tactical maneuver addresses immediate circumstances rather than long-term strategy.
- flankingAt the sides of
- feintDeceptive mock attack
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
- hit and runLeaving after causing accident
- encirclementSurrounding enemy forces completely
advance · siege · cover · misdirection · reconnaissance · counterattack · gambit · retreat · strategic withdrawal · rush · covering fire · envelopment · divide and conquer · bait-and-switch · bait and switch · outmaneuvering · infiltration · false flag
- Petersburg CampaignPetersburg, trenches, trench warfare, siege warfare, siege lines
tactical maneuverinaction
Deliberate nonmovement
stasis · immobility · entrenchment · standing pat · standing ground