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

The team reports the technique in a recent paper published in Nature.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

Only when the AI volunteered to write up its findings in a formal paper did he realize that it had found something—and that his technique had worked.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

He's got everything you need in a modern full-back - pace, power and excellent technique.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

At best, the technique can increase precipitation by 15 to 20 percent, according to various scientific studies.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

If my stitches were uneven or my fabric puckered, it was not entirely a matter of faulty technique.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Analysts use statistical techniques like linear regression to help tease this out.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

Tai chi, a gentle form of exercise based on gentle movements and breathing techniques, is another option.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

These techniques could more widely increase knowledge of species' distributions, helping effective conservation to be targeted in the right place, it said.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

The feature-length archival documentaries Mr. Doherty describes in detail in his book are “not high-profile titles”—it would take years for the techniques they pioneered to be perfected.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The Agency was still smaller than its Russian counterpart, and its agents had to train hard to learn the techniques of spycraft—which Soviet operatives had been mastering for decades.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

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