verve

noun

ˈvərv 

1

a

: the spirit and enthusiasm animating artistic composition or performance : vivacity

b

: energy, vitality

2

archaic : special ability or talent

Synonyms of verve

• vigor
• energy

Examples of verve in a Sentence

She played with skill and verve.

Recent Examples on the Web

The tension between the two boils over into a confrontation which only Eisenhower can adjudicate, a task complicated by his own arrogant British subordinate, a wiry and dislikable General Bernard Montgomery - played with a villainous verve bordering on the pantomime by Damian Lewis. —Daniel Jonah Wolpert, NPR, 29 May 2026

The sense of energy and verve built in to this simple movement system makes Mina a joy to control. —ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026

Nude or near-nude, pert or pendulous of breast and bare or near-bare of pudendum, these women—rendered with great verve and skill, mostly in oils, but, occasionally, in pastels, graphite, collage, or watercolor—are sexy in a pornographic, girly-mag sort of way. —Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 23 May 2026

Curry lends plenty of music-hall verve as the butler, and Warren makes a sizzling Miss Scarlet. —Kirk Ellis, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, caprice, from Old French, word, gossip, from Vulgar Latin *verva, from Latin verba, plural of verbum word — more at word

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for verve

• curve
• mirv
• nerve
• serve
• swerve
• conserve
• deserve
• manoeuvre
• observe
• preserve
• reserve
• subserve

Kids Definition

verve

noun

ˈvərv 

: lively enthusiasm