1
as in negotiating
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care
had to finesse the schedule a bit to fit in another patient that afternoon
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in avoiding
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery
tried to finesse the blame for the foreign policy fiasco, even though he was secretary of state at the time
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Recent Examples of finessing
This picks up any holding with both an honor and the nine onside, which outweighs the alternative play of finessing the 10.
—
Deb Harvell, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2025
The race to dominate the humanoid robotics market is as much about harvesting 3D data as finessing the nuts and bolts.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
But no amount of finessing the Beetle—the automotive equivalent of a Birkenstock sandal—would turn VW’s ugly duckling into a swan.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2025
In traditional builds, this allows your PCI Express cards to be inserted straight down into the slot, rather than tilting the card and finessing its bracket through a rear-panel hole.
—PC Magazine, 14 Sep. 2025
But respect to Doja for finessing the fine points.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
Deb Harvell, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2025
The race to dominate the humanoid robotics market is as much about harvesting 3D data as finessing the nuts and bolts.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
But no amount of finessing the Beetle—the automotive equivalent of a Birkenstock sandal—would turn VW’s ugly duckling into a swan.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2025
In traditional builds, this allows your PCI Express cards to be inserted straight down into the slot, rather than tilting the card and finessing its bracket through a rear-panel hole.
—PC Magazine, 14 Sep. 2025
But respect to Doja for finessing the fine points.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finessing
Verb
-
Republicans have not been negotiating.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Nov. 2025
-
And less than 24 hours after the governor undercut Woodward at LSU, the athletic director was, to no one’s surprise, negotiating his exit strategy from the school.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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These risks have prompted the United States, China, and other spacefaring nations to develop advanced systems for tracking, avoiding, and potentially removing orbital debris.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Maximize calcium absorption by pairing it with vitamin D, healthy fats, and proper timing, while avoiding absorption blockers such as high-oxalate foods and excessive caffeine.—
Trang Tran,
Verywell Health,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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By manipulating phase distribution, engineers can craft internal ion highways rather than relying on chance material behavior.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
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This summer, after initially targeting Punch, the president of SZA’s label TDE, Minaj dissed SZA herself on X, mocking her physical appearance, questioning her level of success, and accusing her of manipulating charts with her release of Lana, the deluxe version of 2022’s SOS.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Kurchenko was also close to Viktor Yanukovych, the Kremlin-leaning Ukrainian president at the time, and was later accused by the succeeding Ukrainian government of systematically evading millions in taxes with the collusion of officials in Yanukovych’s administration.—
Olena Loginova,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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He was arrested on suspicion of evading arrest or detention with a vehicle.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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E-commerce transactions are managed end-to-end without friction, from building a shopping cart and applying discounts to arranging delivery and processing returns.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
3 Nov. 2025
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Join Chloe Mullen, a junior at Cathedral Catholic High School and member of the National Honor Society, for a special flower arranging workshop.—
Kris Slugg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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They were forced to—escaping with just the clothes on their backs and the courage to rebuild their lives in a foreign land.—
Grace Meng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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Though underground testing is considered safer, 32 of those tests in Nevada resulted in fallout escaping into the atmosphere, according to a 1993 UN report.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, the Israeli settler movement is openly plotting a long-term return to Gaza, seeking to reverse the evacuation of 8,000 settlers from the Strip that happened twenty years ago.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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Curves plotting model performance against size have begun flattening out.—
James Somers,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Cuban, or Cubano, is a thrilling feat of sandwich engineering whose singular goal is to impart maximum pleasure.—
Timothy DePeugh,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Oct. 2025
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But the Gulf region’s unique climate challenges and cultural context demand different solutions — solutions Majid Al Futtaim is now engineering at scale.—
Ritu Upadhyay,
Footwear News,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Finessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finessing. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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