finesses

verb

present tense third-person singular of finesse
1
as in negotiates
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care had to finesse the schedule a bit to fit in another patient that afternoon

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in avoids
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery tried to finesse the blame for the foreign policy fiasco, even though he was secretary of state at the time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for finesses
  1. negotiates
  2. avoids
  3. engineers
  4. evades
  5. manipulates
  6. escapes
  7. arranges
  8. plots
Verb
  • But for the budget process, the executive branch proposed a set of cuts and then Congress negotiates on how much to actually cut.
    — Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Second, Morocco negotiates with Spain to secure some form of concession.
    — Miguel Macias, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of negotiates
Verb
  • The outdoors become additional living space Lazime’s team also avoids installing air-conditioning whenever possible—instead, this home relies on ceiling fans in the warmer months.
    — Annabelle Dufraigne, Architectural Digest, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Aggregators typically disclose this information in their search filters, and knowing it in advance avoids confusion on arrival.
    — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of avoids
Verb
  • When Gilla Band hit the road, their front-of-house guy drives, Fox also engineers, Kiely sells merch, and Faulkner runs tech.
    — Laura Snapes, Pitchfork, 9 July 2026
  • Our enterprising Gravedigger, a true woman of science, engineers a lizard elixir and regenerates the finger into a long tentacle that eventually demands a body.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Definition of engineers
Verb
  • Journalists and negotiators follow up when someone evades the point.
    — Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Review, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Johnson has previously stated the Illinois constitution’s flat income tax rate evades the city’s wealth gap.
    — Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of evades
Verb
  • In an interview with the Shade Room last year, Knight’s son, Shanga Hankerson, claimed McDowell pushed the singer into performing and manipulates her.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • An anxiety ring is a piece of jewelry with a spinning band, bead or textured surface that the wearer manipulates with their fingers as a discreet grounding tool.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of manipulates
Verb
  • But as Marty Supreme proved last year, debuting after the rest of the competition can also feel a bit like being the lone straggler in a bike race who escapes the cascading crash that takes out everyone else.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Jordan, who escapes relatively unscathed, is at once cowed and traumatized yet committed to vengeance.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of escapes
Verb
  • And the concierge arranges virtually anything your heart desires, whether that's a private bike tour around the beaches of the Kennebunks, a hot air balloon ride, a cooking class, or a private dinner in the restaurant's wine cellar.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The list of names for storms is prepared six years in advance of the current hurricane season by the World Meteorological Organization, which arranges them alphabetically.
    — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of arranges
Verb
  • But the Green Book plots Ecobalyse points, PEF micropoints and Higg scores together despite their different units and methodologies.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • This chart from Henry Allen at Deutsche Bank plots the rate of inflation at the beginning of each historical period when the Fed began raising rates, against the number of basis points in that rate-raising cycle.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of plots
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

finessed
finesses
finessing
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Cite this Entry

“Finesses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finesses. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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