1
: refinement or delicacy of workmanship, structure, or texture
trinkets of an extreme finesse—
Arnold Rosin
Arnold Rosin2
: skillful handling of a situation : adroit maneuvering
She handled the interviewer's questions with finesse.
3
: the withholding of one's highest card or trump in the hope that a lower card will take the trick because the only opposing higher card is in the hand of an opponent who has already played
finessed; finessing
: to make a finesse in playing cards
1
: to play (a card) in a finesse
Synonyms
Examples of finesse in a Sentence
Noun
She handled the interview questions with finesse.
maneuvered his opponent into checkmate with his customary finesse
Verb
He managed to finesse a deal through bargaining.
She is just trying to finesse the issue.
Recent Examples on the WebThe Editors, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024
The structure of this wine is breathtaking, like delicate lace that caresses the palate with nuanced finesse and has an extraordinary purity of fruit that is expressive on the very long finish.
—Cathrine Todd, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
This is a great tool for beginners and does not take much finesse to get that perfect blowout look.
—Taylor Gumm, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2024
This finesse allows tenderness to pour in and inspires supporting characters to emotionally blossom.
—EW.com, 18 Feb. 2024
But there is something exhilarating about the acrobatic moves, pinpoint training, physical finesse and on-the-spot playmaking necessary to excel in the NBA.
—Barbara Ellis, The Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2024
When the heart finesse wins, South plays safe in trumps.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2024
As a Latino, Lazo didn’t have the luxury of job hopping and sometimes found himself behind the eight ball, but banked life with the finesse of a pool champion.
—Richard J. Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2024
That level of detail and finesse is now a hallmark of fine-dining experiences the world over.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2024
Declarer took the ace and tried leading the five of clubs to finesse with his queen.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024
After Zens was exercised through eight-foot seas, more genteel conditions were enjoyed behind the harbor seawall, finessing pirouettes in the calm water with the joystick before the boat glided nimbly to the dock.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 18 Feb. 2024
Everything about the design of this keyboard has been finessed to appeal to the most dedicated gamers.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Of course, there’s a driver to take you the 90-second journey to the central lifts and a concierge, too, who’ll finesse any of your needs, from the mundane to the esoteric.
—Tom Weijand, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2024
Some time around 1536, Hans Holbein the Younger was finessing Henry VIII’s crotch.
—Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 7 Feb. 2024
San Jose’s City Council used a letter to finesse its own bylaw forbidding resolutions on foreign policy.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2024
The modern memoir is the proving ground for our national obsession with trauma, a place to gawk at whoever comes through the emotional meat grinder with the good sense and talent to finesse their damage into a redemption song.
—Hillary Kelly, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2024
Noun
Few manage to design and book high-end active trips with more finesse than the Canadian, who lives in Santa Monica, Calif.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024
The structure of this wine is breathtaking, like delicate lace that caresses the palate with nuanced finesse and has an extraordinary purity of fruit that is expressive on the very long finish.
—Cathrine Todd, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
This is a great tool for beginners and does not take much finesse to get that perfect blowout look.
—Taylor Gumm, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2024
This finesse allows tenderness to pour in and inspires supporting characters to emotionally blossom.
—EW.com, 18 Feb. 2024
But there is something exhilarating about the acrobatic moves, pinpoint training, physical finesse and on-the-spot playmaking necessary to excel in the NBA.
—Barbara Ellis, The Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2024
When the heart finesse wins, South plays safe in trumps.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2024
As a Latino, Lazo didn’t have the luxury of job hopping and sometimes found himself behind the eight ball, but banked life with the finesse of a pool champion.
—Richard J. Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2024
That level of detail and finesse is now a hallmark of fine-dining experiences the world over.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
Verb
South can lead a club to dummy at Trick Two to finesse in hearts.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2024
Declarer took the ace and tried leading the five of clubs to finesse with his queen.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024
After Zens was exercised through eight-foot seas, more genteel conditions were enjoyed behind the harbor seawall, finessing pirouettes in the calm water with the joystick before the boat glided nimbly to the dock.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 18 Feb. 2024
Everything about the design of this keyboard has been finessed to appeal to the most dedicated gamers.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Of course, there’s a driver to take you the 90-second journey to the central lifts and a concierge, too, who’ll finesse any of your needs, from the mundane to the esoteric.
—Tom Weijand, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2024
Some time around 1536, Hans Holbein the Younger was finessing Henry VIII’s crotch.
—Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 7 Feb. 2024
San Jose’s City Council used a letter to finesse its own bylaw forbidding resolutions on foreign policy.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2024
The modern memoir is the proving ground for our national obsession with trauma, a place to gawk at whoever comes through the emotional meat grinder with the good sense and talent to finesse their damage into a redemption song.
—Hillary Kelly, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'finesse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near finesse
Cite this Entry
“Finesse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/finesse. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
finesse
1 of 2 noun
fi·nesse
fə-ˈnes 
: skillful or delicate handling or artistry
finesse
2 of 2 verb
finessed; finessing
: to bring about a result by finesse
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