deft ˈdeft adjective
: skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands
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The word deft has appeared in 138 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Aug. 3 in “A Cat on the Field. A Mantis on a Hat. Monday Baseball Had It All.” by Daniel Victor:
An animal unexpectedly gets loose on a field of competition no more than a handful of times per year, and fans typically agree that it never gets old. In 2019, a cat scurried into the end zone at Giants Stadium. In 2017, a cat perched on the Miami Marlins’ gaudy home run sculpture.
Most times, the animal — typically a terrified cat — displays deft skill in evading human capture until it decides to run off the field on its own terms. The fans in the stadium typically root for the cat against the villainous grounds crew, and TV announcers gamely narrate the drama.
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word deft in a sentence?
Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.
Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.
If you want a better idea of how deft can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.
If you enjoy this daily challenge, try one of our monthly vocabulary challenges.
Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.
