tactic

1 of 3

noun

tac·​tic ˈtak-tik How to pronounce tactic (audio)
Synonyms of tacticnext
1
: a device for accomplishing an end
2
: a method of employing forces in combat

tactic

2 of 3

adjective

: of or relating to arrangement or order

-tactic

3 of 3

adjective combining form

1
: of, relating to, or having (such) an arrangement or pattern
phonotactic
2
: showing orientation or movement directed by a (specified) force or agent
geotactic

Note: Adjectives formed with -tactic usually correspond to nouns ending in -taxis.

Examples of tactic in a Sentence

Noun an effective tactic for solving crimes We may need to change tactics. a specialist in naval tactics
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Products from companies like Cogent Security, 7AI, Prophet, and Dropzone AI, for instance, automate some of the routine defensive tactics that companies perform, using agents to send out alerts and escalate incident reports. —Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025 Immigration advocates say that as the agency increases its presence across the country thanks to an infusion of cash from Congress, untraceable vehicles may add to confusion over what tactics immigration officers can or should be using, and could prevent people from holding officers accountable. —Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Pritzker’s isn’t the only tactic Democratic governors are trying against Trump. —Ben Smith, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2025 Don’t bribe—empathize Bribing picky eaters with dessert is a common tactic parents use to get to the end of the meal. —Taylor Grothe, Parents, 17 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tactic

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from New Latin tactica "art of deploying troops in combat," borrowed from Greek taktikḗ (originally modifying téchnē "art, skill "), noun derivative from feminine of taktikós "of ordering or arranging, of ordering troops in combat"; in recent use also as back-formation from tactics — more at tactic entry 2

Adjective

borrowed from Greek taktikós "of ordering or arranging, of ordering troops in combat," from taktós "ordered, prescribed" (verbal adjective of tássein —Attic táttein— "to draw up in order [as troops, ships], post, station, place in order, prescribe, assess," of uncertain origin) + -ikos -ic entry 1

Note: The derivative noun tagḗ "line of battle" (and possibly Thessalian tāgós "commander") show that the base of the verb was tag-, which should have resulted in *tázein rather than tássein; the latter was presumably introduced from generalization of the voiceless consonant in the aorist and in derivatives such as taktós, táxis, etc. The base tag- has been compared with the Parthian title tgmdr (read as *taɣma-dára "order-giver"), Old Persian ham-ataxšata "they have put in order," Tocharian B tāś "commander," and (semantically much more distant) Lithuanian patogùs "convenient, comfortable," sutógti "to get married, ally oneself." R. Beekes proposes a verb *teh2g-, invoking a law to delete the laryngeal in order to avoid positing a base with *a (Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2010).

Adjective combining form

borrowed from Greek -taktikos, after pairs such as prótaxis "placement in front, prefixing," protaktikós "used as a prefix" — more at tactic entry 2

First Known Use

Noun

1640, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tactic was in 1640

Phrases Containing tactic

Rhymes for tactic

See All Rhymes for tactic

Browse Nearby Words

tactful
tactic
-tactic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tactic. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.

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Kids Definition

tactic

noun
tac·​tic
ˈtak-tik
1
: a method of arranging and moving forces in combat
2
: a planned action for a particular purpose

Medical Definition

tactic

adjective
tac·​tic ˈtak-tik How to pronounce tactic (audio)
1
: regular in structure of repeating units in a polymer
2
: of, relating to, or showing biological taxis

More from Merriam-Webster on tactic

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tactic

Nglish: Translation of tactic for Spanish Speakers

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