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finesse

/fɪˈnɛs/ verb C2
  1. To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem. (US, transitive)
  2. To handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way. (US, transitive)
  3. To obtain something from someone through trickery or manipulation. (US, slang, transitive)
  4. To attempt to win a trick by finessing. (intransitive)
  5. To play (a card) as a finesse. (transitive)

He/she/it finesses · Past finessed · Past participle finessed · -ing form finessing

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Verb forms

Base form
finesse
He/she/it
finesses
Past
finessed
Past participle
finessed
-ing form
finessing

From the library

However, I have no doubt that with a little delicacy and finesse the end may be attained.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes, p. 106 · C1
“Having conceived the idea he proceeded to carry it out with considerable finesse.
The Hound of the Baskervilles, p. 206 · C1
Albert was accompanied by Lucien Debray, who, joining in his friend’s conversation, added some passing compliments, the source of which the count’s talent for finesse easily enabled him to guess.
The Count of Monte Cristo, p. 561 · C1
The structural necessity of the serial format gave rise to the cliffhanger, a dramatic device that Dickens employed with unparalleled finesse.
The Master of Suspense: Dickens in Installments, p. 1 · C2

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Words, meanings, pronunciations and translations from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); how common each word is from wordfreq. Made into this dictionary by FluentPlex.