noun
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another name for sleight of hand
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cunning deception or trickery
Other Word Forms
- legerdemainist noun
Etymology
Origin of legerdemain
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English legerdemeyn, lygarde de mayne “skill in conjuring, sleight of hand,” from Middle French léger de main “nimble, skillful,” literally “light of hand” (unrecorded)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. Barnes uses his neatly attired Englishness as camouflage for narrative experimentation and legerdemain.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
With that bit of legerdemain, AB 1058 died, AB 1493 was born, and the auto industry’s campaign crashed.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 7, 2025
The filmmakers indulge in some legerdemain, having the real-life participants recount the events as if certain facts were not already in the open at the time of the interviews.
From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2024
Which name do you call a professional who practices legerdemain?
From Slate • Jan. 22, 2024
He amazed everyone with his feats of legerdemain.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
