1
: a fencing or dueling sword having a bowl-shaped guard and a rigid blade of triangular section with no cutting edge that tapers to a sharp point blunted for fencing compare foil entry 4 sense 1, saber
2
: the art or sport of fencing with the épée

Illustration of épée

Illustration of épée
  • épée 1

Examples of épée in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fencing — Men’s team epee at 1:30 p.m. ET and 7:30 p.m. Larissa Gao, NBC News, 3 Aug. 2024 Also Sunday, Japan's Koki Kano beat France's Yannick Borel 15-9 for the men's epee gold medal. CBS News, 29 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French espee, Latin spatha

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of épée was in 1889

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“épée.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/%C3%A9p%C3%A9e. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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