How to Use finesse in a Sentence

finesse

1 of 2 noun
  • She handled the interview questions with finesse.
  • Sarr relies on finesse and does not play with much force.
    — Josh Robbins, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Getting the seltzer to flow from them took some finesse.
    — Literary Hub, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Eze unlocked the game with great finesse from range.
    — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
  • Of course, this level of finesse doesn’t come cheap.
    — New Atlas, 4 Feb. 2026
  • There’s not a full kitchen here, but the menu has an admirable amount of finesse to it.
    — Soleil Ho, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Nov. 2022
  • Pizza dough is an art and science that takes a whole lot of finesse.
    — Dana McMahan, The Courier-Journal, 14 June 2022
  • Large strollers and rollers may require some angling finesse.
    — Elana Scherr, Car and Driver, 4 Oct. 2022
  • Getting that, even then, would require some finesse.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Tubelis is a versatile big man that can beat you with finesse or power.
    — Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2023
  • The images use natural light to bring this idea to life with finesse.
    — Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The puffy wide satin band holds everything in place, and adds an extra bit of finesse to any look.
    — Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 22 Dec. 2022
  • That’s all part of the finesse of his pitching mechanics.
    — Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
  • The judges say the bread was claggy, underproofed, and lacked finesse.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The feat has been attempted countless times, once with finesse.
    — Stacy Schiff, WSJ, 17 Feb. 2023
  • Both will feed crowds, and both reveal a finesse in which the sweet seafood inside the cleaved shells remains lush.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2023
  • Smith is more of a finesse player, who relies on three-point shooting and pull-up jumpers to mark his path.
    — Morten Jensen, Forbes, 30 Apr. 2022
  • Still needs to refine his defensive game and add finesse in attack.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Porzingis is a finesse big with the ability to post and shoot over defenders, not go through them.
    — Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 22 June 2023
  • Not so easy now, where a return to more finesse, timing, and pace would also be welcome.
    — Tara Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Feb. 2023
  • South wins, returns a heart to dummy and finesses in clubs, winning at least nine tricks.
    — Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2024
  • As such, the vessel showcases true made in Italy flair and finesse.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2024
  • Bassey spaces as a vertical threat — rolling to the basket with force and finesse.
    — Sam Gordon, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Powerful, dense fruit, but not lacking finesse, balanced oak, hint of spices.
    — Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
  • Line Lock sets the car up for burnouts with just a button push and throttle punch – no brake finesse skill required.
    — New Atlas, 10 Aug. 2025
  • Granted, this whole effort is a task that requires a certain degree of finesse.
    — Andy Meek, BGR, 28 Apr. 2022
  • However, over time, with practice comes finesse.
    — Sonya Rehman, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
  • By night, the café resets for Georgian cooking that hits both comfort and finesse.
    — Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
  • His energy, vision and finesse has made a mark acknowledged around the globe.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
  • That takes real charisma and finesse — and AD Smith has both.
    — Laura Bradley, Vulture, 6 May 2026

finesse

2 of 2 verb
  • She is just trying to finesse the issue.
  • He managed to finesse a deal through bargaining.
  • Will your provider try to finesse the filler or dissolve it?
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Of course, there are all sorts of ways to finesse cap numbers.
    — Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 7 Mar. 2021
  • His hands are known for fighting, not finesse around the net.
    — Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, 18 Feb. 2018
  • Randle didn’t try to finesse or quick-shot it, but went up strong.
    — Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 5 May 2026
  • Frenck said there wasn't any time -- nor any reason -- to finesse the dosing last year.
    — Maggie Fox, CNN, 22 Sep. 2021
  • Language was finessed in other ways, too.
    — Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Even your own staff never learned to finesse that aspect of the business.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2021
  • There were rules to the game, of course, ways to finesse a certain look and attitude.
    — Jason Parham, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2021
  • So the Cynic shrugged, drew trumps and led a club to finesse with dummy’s queen.
    — Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 7 July 2019
  • Tahj Staveskie showed strong ball-handling, court awareness and finesse around the rim.
    — Tyler J. Davis, Detroit Free Press, 14 Mar. 2021
  • Stylez took a few strands and finessed them into two swirly loops, one near each temple, to complete the style.
    — Gabi Thorne, Allure, 13 Mar. 2023
  • Not all Republicans have been so quick to finesse their stances.
    — Katie Glueck, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2022
  • Assuming that forces an honor, finesse the six on the second.
    — Deb Harvell, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Krutwig is an old-school big man who uses his footwork and finesse over jump-out-of-the-gym athleticism.
    — Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2021
  • But respect to Doja for finessing the fine points.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Then, my producers and I read it back and finessed it some and read it together.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 2 Aug. 2023
  • The state finessed that by assuming his car was repaired after the robbery.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025
  • Holbein’s two famous ambassadors had been sent from France to finesse this deal.
    — Dominic Dromgoole, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2020
  • When West discarded, South took the ace of hearts and finessed with dummy’s jack.
    — Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2024
  • Leaving statutes vague, however, has been a way for Congress to finesse fights.
    — John Schwartz, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2020
  • The human quality of these clothes gave Jones’s finesse a fresh sweetness.
    — Rachel Tashjian, Harper's BAZAAR, 11 Sep. 2022
  • This all comes at a time when the foreign affairs menu is adding hearty entrees that will take time, resources, and finesse to tackle.
    — Tovin Lapan, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2019
  • The backup big man tried to finesse the ball into the basket to beat the game clock, but even that point-blank attempt rattled out at the buzzer.
    — Tom Green | [email protected], al, 11 Mar. 2022
  • Once a coaster has been deemed safe, its designers ride it over and over to further finesse the experience.
    — Bianca Bosker, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2025
  • This no-wipe gel formula comes with a short, easy-to-finesse spoolie applicator that can make stripes, waves, and ripples.
    — Rosa Pyo, Allure, 9 Feb. 2026
  • Dolphins will never enter the Stone Age; flippers cannot finesse.
    — Quanta Magazine, 10 Nov. 2015
  • On the water, Hanson prefers finesse fishing with light tackle and fly gear, and focuses on big bass.
    — Tom Keer, Field & Stream, 16 June 2020
  • Cruz finessed his way into not allowing a Red Sox runner to cross the plate, keeping the score tied.
    — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025

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

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