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.
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It snatches at our attention with no more finesse than a losing fighter fumbling for a weapon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Nebbiolo, a grape grown mainly in southern Piedmont’s Langhe region, combines the finesse and complexity of Pinot Noir with the power and tannins of Cabernet Sauvignon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 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
He was looking for finesse but I came after him with muscle.
From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers
Soft and supple, it finesses the line between elegance and heft.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 8, 2021
The computers say the mate is now forced but there are a couple of amazing finesses along the way.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 5, 2019
Grant attempts two tricky maneuvers with “Harpoon” and, for the most part, finesses them both.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2019
He suggested that the public had seized too narrowly on the times he deploys, say, the King Cobra Driver, rather than the moments he finesses a Titleist putter.
From New York Times ● Sep. 5, 2014
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
While Cooper scraped together the tiny budget from his own money, with help from family, and finessed Levy’s cooperation, Burke promised him they could shoot the film in a week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 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
And there are some feelings about this show’s return that no amount of script finessing can alter.
From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2026
He won the bid on the basis of completing the project in three days but then spent three months finessing the terms of the contract before subcontracting the job.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
They’ve tested concepts on stage that haven’t worked; sometimes comedians themselves have realized their act needs more finessing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2025
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
Too much finessing would be wanted; too many reserves.
From Somehow Good by William Frend De Morgan
Vocabulary lists containing finesse
Trumps
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "F"
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This Week in Pop Culture: February 2 - 8, 2019
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