From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdeftdeft /deft/ adjective written 1 GOOD ATa deft movement is skilful, and often quick He sketched her with quick, deft strokes. deft footwork2 GOOD ATskilful at doing something SYN adept his deft chairmanship of the company —deftly adverb —deftness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
deft• Dreamy, deft and economical, it was born to prowl the airwaves.• Thanks to deft chairmanship and bluntness, he drew from it a respectable report that won praise for its forthrightness.• Combining powerful smashes with deft drop-shots, Hall beat Steve Baddeley 15-18,15-4,15-4 in a 66-minute final.• All feature his full-bodied tone and deft improvisations.• Associates describe him as a deft manipulator of the media and of the young women he turns into pop superstars.• His work on Phylloxera is mimicked by deft strokes, as are his studies of chicken cholera.• Our sense of time within these television years is so deft that we can make all sorts of jokes from it.• Our offer of riches beyond dreams still stands for those deft with pen and sharp of wit.• The songs demonstrate Costello's deft wordplay.Origin deft (1200-1300) daft 