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

• vigor
• energy

Examples of verve in a Sentence

She played with skill and verve.

Recent Examples on the Web

On the other side of the spectrum, Natalie Haynes superb novel Stone Blind reimagines Medusa’s story with equal verve and imagination. —Irenosen Okojie july 11, Literary Hub, 11 July 2025

The other end of the housing market is showing more verve and braggadocio: before COVID, multi-million dollar properties could sit for years. —Peter Lane Taylor, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025

And the manner in which Victor presents this narrative, with such verve and confidence and tenderness and pitch-black humor, defies easy description. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 June 2025

Which, of course, is how Trump made his own rise, promising, with showman verve, to be the voice of the toiling voiceless who increasingly are in danger of becoming the working poor. —Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025

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