technique

American  

[tek-neek] / tɛkˈnik /

noun

• techniques
  plural

1. the manner and ability with which an artist, writer, dancer, athlete, or the like employs the technical skills of a particular art or field of endeavor.

2. the body of specialized procedures and methods used in any specific field, especially in an area of applied science.

3. method of performance; way of accomplishing.

4. technical skill; ability to apply procedures or methods so as to effect a desired result.

5. Informal. method of projecting personal charm, appeal, etc..

   He has the greatest technique with customers.

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technique British  

/ tɛkˈniːk /

noun

1. a practical method, skill, or art applied to a particular task

2. proficiency in a practical or mechanical skill

3. special facility; knack

   he had the technique of turning everything to his advantage

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• techniques
  plural

Etymology

Origin of technique

First recorded in 1810–20; from French: “technical” (adjective), “technic” (noun), from Greek technikós, techniká; see technic

Explanation

A technique is a method of doing some task or performing something. Your technique for opening drinks might be to twist the top off with your teeth. If so, your dentist better have a good tooth-repair technique. The noun technique can also refer to someone's skillfulness with the fundamentals of a particular task. A violinist could have excellent technique, but lack passion, for example. Writers usually have very individual writing techniques: One might need to write late at night and another early in the morning; some have to write by hand on paper, while others always use the computer.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

technique techniques

Using that technique, astronomers looked for planets hidden inside the dusty disks.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

"It was assessed we wouldn't get to the identification of Baby Auckland even if we used that technique," Sutherland told the coroner, adding: "We would still be some generations off."

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

The students are puzzled by Mr. Mehta’s breaking with accepted technique.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

The agent set up fake accounts and impersonated humans in a hacking technique known as social engineering as part of the attempt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

To be precise, Hodges did it in a gray flannel suit, for he was a pragmatist, dubbed the “Businessman’s Governor,” a believer in method and technique over ideology and manifesto.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Traditional fabrication relies on ultraprecision machinery to squeeze more circuits onto a single chip; Huawei is trying to improve computing efficiency through techniques such as layering circuits within a single chip.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Sutherland told the coroner he was not aware of any religious practices or midwifery techniques from the time which would have involved the tying of string around a child's neck.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

The sixth possible approach listed by Laforge is analyzing the bitcoin adoption cycle, but he noted that this is not an exact science and should involve accessing multiple different measuring techniques.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

“The T. rex teeth we studied were collected decades ago, before the analytical techniques we used were even possible.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

“He studied art and its history. Who made the art, where and when the artists lived, what techniques they used. Then he taught students about it,” Mr. Jones said, giving Franz a final head pat.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

Related Words

• approach
• art
• capability
• capacity
• craft
• facility
• know-how
• manner
• means
• mode
• performance
• procedure
• routine
• skill
• style
• system