technique

American  

[tek-neek] / tɛkˈnik /

noun

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.

---

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

---

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

Edmond Albius devised the hand-pollination technique that made vanilla cultivation commercially viable; he died in poverty after emancipation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

But it was limited by inconsistency in the measurement technique of the AGD—in fact, that the measurement was “difficult to standardize” is something that the paper itself notes.

From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026

Mackaill has presented the technique to both Nasa and the European Space Agency.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

"This qualitative technique, invented and implemented at ISTA, is much like angiography in living tissues -- except that we are examining the micro-structure of a crystal," says Alpichshev.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026

He laughed at the irony: having run from a career in the ministry, he was now completely devoted to what was, at heart, a technique for spiritual redemption and renewal.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

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