sleight of hand

noun phrase

1

a

: a cleverly executed trick or deception

b

: a conjuring trick requiring manual dexterity

2

a

: skill and dexterity in conjuring tricks

b

: adroitness in deception

Examples of sleight of hand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Forty years later, Mr. Green has relied on business fundamentals rather than sleight of hand to make a colt named Sandman one of the favorites to win the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. —Joe Drape, New York Times, 3 May 2025

Today, thanks to decades of grassroots effort and a little chemical sleight of hand, the Narcisse Snake Dens are back to full strength. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025

The image appears to have been doctored, recruited into Trump’s own semiotic sleight of hand—reducing a person to a body part and then stamping that body part with a sign of evil. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025

This gave politicians willing to accept the sleight of hand a useful talking point and hid the Blueprint’s true cost. —Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for sleight of hand

• ampersand
• beforehand
• behindhand
• bottomland
• contraband
• countermand
• dixieland
• fairyland
• fatherland
• firebrand
• hinterland
• motherland

Kids Definition

sleight of hand

1

: skill especially in juggling or magic tricks

2

: a magic or juggling trick requiring skill with the hands