tactics
tactics Lexical Profile
tactics Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Carefully planned actions, methods, or maneuvers used to achieve a specific short-term goal or advantage.
"The coach adjusted the team's tactics at halftime to counter the opponent's strong defense."
The art or science of disposing and maneuvering forces or resources skillfully to achieve an objective, functioning as a singular noun.
"In competitive chess, tactics is often what decides the outcome of a complex middle game."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Tactics' is often confused with 'strategy': strategy refers to an overarching, long-term plan to achieve a major goal, whereas tactics are the specific, short-term actions taken to execute that plan. When referring to the general science or study of deploying forces, 'tactics' takes a singular verb, but when referring to specific methods or maneuvers, it takes a plural verb.
• Rhymes for tactics
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 17th century from Modern Latin 'tactica', from Ancient Greek 'taktikē (tekhnē)' meaning 'the art of arrangement', derived from 'tassein' ('to arrange or order').