verve

noun

ˈvərv 

1

a

: the spirit and enthusiasm animating artistic composition or performance : vivacity

b

: energy, vitality

2

archaic : special ability or talent

Synonyms

• vigor
• energy

Examples of verve in a Sentence

She played with skill and verve.

Recent Examples on the Web

Princess Charlotte added ruffles and youthful verve to her navy and white polka dot Guess dress for Sunday’s UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 final match between England and Spain in Basel, Switzerland. —Julia Teti, Footwear News, 28 July 2025

This Cabernet Franc rosé, sourced from the gravelly flatlands along the Vienne River in Chinon, channels the producer’s signature intensity and verve. —Anna Lee C. Iijima, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 July 2025

Some story lines take place in Dallas, where a grownup Bobby (still voiced with gravelly verve by Pamela Adlon) runs a German-Japanese fusion restaurant and gets ensnared in various romantic entanglements. —Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2025

Chaumet More than any other house on Place Vendôme, Chaumet has placed nature at the heart of its creative identity, transcribing plants and flowers into precious metals and gems with verve for the past 245 years. —Kate Matthams, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, caprice, from Old French, word, gossip, from Vulgar Latin *verva, from Latin verba, plural of verbum word — more at word

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for verve

• curve
• mirv
• nerve
• serve
• swerve
• conserve
• deserve
• manoeuvre
• observe
• preserve
• reserve
• subserve

Kids Definition

verve

noun

ˈvərv 

: lively enthusiasm