sleight of hand

noun phrase

1
a
: a cleverly executed trick or deception
b
: a conjuring trick requiring manual dexterity
2
a
: skill and dexterity in conjuring tricks
b
: adroitness in deception

Examples of sleight of hand in a Sentence

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.
Audiences might enjoy this cinematic sleight of hand, but the key characters are such single-minded, calculating individuals that the real magic would be to find any heart in this tale. Kirk Honeycutt, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2025 With no use for the quotidian, Beaton’s visual sleight of hand turned balloons, cellophane, mirrors, paper, and vases into fantastical dreamscapes and silvery grottos, his patient sisters sitting for pictures until society came to call. Tracy Doyle, Air Mail, 11 Oct. 2025 As the creative director for Boucheron, Claire Choisne has the sleight of hand of a magician — conjuring extraordinary jewelry from her imagination. Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 11 Oct. 2025 In their nine years working together, the decorators have developed their own sleight of hand, cleverly camouflaging pragmatic choices as strictly aesthetic ones. Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 7 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sleight of hand

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of sleight of hand was in 1593

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Cite this Entry

“Sleight of hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleight%20of%20hand. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

sleight of hand

1
: skill especially in juggling or magic tricks
2
: a magic or juggling trick requiring skill with the hands
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