finesse
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A hodgepodge of live cuts, outtakes, British LP tracks and singles, this album shows the Stones rapidly gaining confidence and playing with equal parts finesse and fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Against Cape Verde, Spain lacked finesse in their passing.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
When my body said to fling, I really needed to flick; when I used force, I really needed finesse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
But what he might lack in rhetorical finesse, he more than has in job experience, as least as defined by Trump.
From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2026
Just twenty-seven years old, Claytor played Rachmaninoff with finesse and a mean game of tennis.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
![]()
After some no doubt supersubtle finesses and pivots on both sides, Black seems to have achieved his goal on 30.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 14, 2023
Soft and supple, it finesses the line between elegance and heft.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 8, 2021
Grant attempts two tricky maneuvers with “Harpoon” and, for the most part, finesses them both.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2019
The chef, Jason Aldous, forages and then finesses hyper-fresh ingredients — fiddlehead ferns, ramps, organic duck eggs, local oysters — into dishes that highlight the crisp brine of the waters and earthiness of the terroir.
From New York Times ● Jun. 23, 2017
Hoagland would say that now was the time for playing certain finesses, that in the wake of the activity arose those moments that could be manipulated.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
![]()
Berkshire does own about $60 billion of Apple stock, but that issue likely could be finessed to get Cook.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
Many California hotels have finessed the issue by restricting children’s access without banning them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2025
It’s a mammalian innovation, honed and finessed in the latter stages of the Mesozoic era, the so-called Age of Reptiles.
From Slate ● Sep. 7, 2024
In bright, airy studios in London and Malibu, they finessed what would become Lipa’s most ambitious — and euphoric-sounding — record to date.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 30, 2024
UC Berkeley’s medical school would not get over its disdain for John’s studies for years, until the situation was finessed by the creation of a separate laboratory for radiation science in 1942.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
![]()
Your idea is pretty special, but perhaps needs a little finessing.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
And there are some feelings about this show’s return that no amount of script finessing can alter.
From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2026
So it’s a pleasure to report that actor-turned-filmmaker Matthew Shear, with his debut feature “Fantasy Life,” shows a facility for finessing a meal that lands the last bite.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
With enough time and imagination, kickers and equipment managers are capable of finessing footballs in ways that make them soar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
The cannon and the musket were already in use; and it only required one blast of gunpowder to turn the shamfight of courtly, traitorous, finessing captains of adventure into something terribly more real.
From New Italian sketches by John Addington Symonds
Vocabulary lists containing finesse
Trumps
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "F"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Pop Culture: February 2 - 8, 2019
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!