How to Use deft in a Sentence

deft

adjective
Definition of deftnext
Synonyms for deftnext
  • The photographer is known for her deft use of lighting.
  • Pulisic set up Weah for a deft finish in the 36th minute against the Welsh.
    — John Powers, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Nov. 2022
  • The cat made a deft U-turn, scampered out of the trap, and vanished.
    — Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
  • With deft strokes of her needle and thread, Lowe brought out the best of her clients.
    — Shelcy Joseph, Essence, 21 Dec. 2023
  • The Heat’s big man is a deft passer, and Butler began working the open space of the lane.
    — Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2023
  • Much of it, in the first half, is funny, deft, and dotted with suspense.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2023
  • Partly that lies in the quartet's deft approach to their work.
    — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 11 Aug. 2022
  • Such has been the deft calculus of Mr. Putin’s friendship with Mr. Xi.
    — Suhasini Raj, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2022
  • With a deft hand they can be turned sideways to cut a notch along sidewalks, patios and drives.
    — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 20 Mar. 2023
  • Among young voters, Ko has a leg up thanks to his deft use of social media.
    — Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
  • The defense collapsed, and Stefanovic got a deft pass off to a rolling Keita, who bobbled the ball and turned it over.
    — Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 3 Nov. 2022
  • The war is no less a conflict than The Crusades, and is presented as a deft dark mix of mime and modern dance.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2022
  • These perks didn't diminish the Rover's deft off-road handling.
    — Martin Padgett Jr., Car and Driver, 2 Aug. 2023
  • Leon turns out to be a deft teacher, and by chapter’s end, Gopnik has his license in hand.
    — Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2023
  • The themes of family and connection are woven into the script with a deft touch.
    — Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2023
  • He’s also known in the Variety newsroom for his deft touch with news-of-the-weird stories that arise on his beats.
    — William Earl, Variety, 16 Feb. 2024
  • To move a genre so rich with history forward into the new age requires a deft hand (and voice!).
    — ELLE, 27 Jan. 2023
  • Unwanted bits are removed with deft robotic arms (and saved for a fish stock, of course).
    — Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 15 Aug. 2023
  • To his credit, Nate Burger, her Benedick here, is a deft catcher of her fireballs.
    — Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2023
  • She is known for having a deft touch with writers and producers.
    — Joe Flint, WSJ, 19 June 2022
  • Much of this is achieved through deft character work that helps shore up some of the show’s shakier decisions.
    — Sean T. Collins, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2022
  • Hahn and Hoyer are capable of making the kind of deft decisions that can fix things in 2023.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 4 Dec. 2022
  • This reinstatement is just one example of the pair’s deft efforts to distill the shop to its essence.
    — Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2022
  • Mitchell even showed off his deft playmaking skills, accounting for one-third of the team’s assists.
    — Chris Fedor, cleveland, 19 Oct. 2022
  • New to Bochy when this season began, Rangers players tell about his deft comedic touch that has eased their journey.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Oct. 2023
  • Its 55 minutes are full of all the eager-to-please grossness and deft pop culture references that fans will crave.
    — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Sep. 2023
  • The story follows a wealthy family led by James Sandin, who is played with deft tension by Ethan Hawke.
    — Leigh Hewett, EW.com, 15 Dec. 2022
  • Monza have made quite the splash, in the customary Berlusconi way, by making some deft signings.
    — Emmet Gates, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022
  • Elizabeth is such a deft comedian and brought so much to it.
    — Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023
  • Here the art direction of John Meehan is very deft at giving the luxury of the past certain overtones of the future.
    — Jack Moffitt, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Dec. 2022

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

Last Updated: