technique

noun

tech·nique tek-ˈnēk

: the manner in which technical details are treated (as by a writer) or basic physical movements are used (as by a dancer)

also : ability to treat such details or use such movements

good piano technique

: a body of technical methods (as in a craft or in scientific research)

: a method of accomplishing a desired aim

Example Sentences

We learned some techniques for relieving stress. I used a special technique to make the bread. The players need to practice in order to improve their technique. a dancer with excellent technique The ice-skaters will be judged on technique and creativity.

Recent Examples on the Web There were also eight wicker-like chairs created by the Belgian furniture maker Vincent Sheppard using a technique, invented during World War I, in which paper is wound around metal wire and then machine woven, producing a material hardier than its closest aesthetic counterpart, rattan. —

Ella Riley-adams, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2023 Just like the age-old sensory zap of snapping a rubber band on the wrist to deter anxiety, chewing sour candies is a distraction technique. —

Sarah Garone, Health, 25 Apr. 2023 Possesses excellent athleticism and tackling technique. —

Jim Mcbride, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Apr. 2023 The technique, which renders the corpses transparent and then exposes them to fluorescent antibodies that label distinct cell types, could help everything from drug development to understanding the spread of cancer, its creators and other scientists say. —

Byesra Öz, science.org, 25 Apr. 2023 Some of this year’s Showcase directors stand out for boldness of technique. —

Pablo Sandoval, Variety, 21 Apr. 2023 Bell will be teaching visitors a collage technique, but wants participants to express themselves in their own way. —

Elizabeth Myong, Dallas News, 21 Apr. 2023 Common Pistol Squat Mistakes The pistol squat is incredibly tricky, and a lot can go wrong with your technique, which can lead to muscle and joint strain, says Vesco. —

Megan Falk, Women's Health, 21 Apr. 2023 For millennia, farmers and ranchers had to encourage desirable traits by selective breeding, a notoriously painstaking and imprecise technique. —

Peter G. Lurie And Beth Ellikidis, STAT, 17 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'technique.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "technical nature, branch of knowledge, body of technical methods, way of doing something," feminine noun derivative of technique, adjective, "technical," borrowed from New Latin technicus "of the arts or sciences" — more at technical entry 1

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of technique was in 1817

See more words from the same year