Synonyms
Examples of esprit in a Sentence
the dance company has an infectious esprit that captivates audiences
Recent Examples on the Web
In power, their Cheka harnessed the esprit of a military-religious order of knights with the atrocious violence of a gangster hit squad.
—
Time, 24 Aug. 2023
This, along with the character’s hardened esprit of the streets, lofts her off the page: Even a future movie star is having to make money.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 1 June 2020
The colony experiences the egalitarianism of a frontier reinforced by the esprit of a group of people working together with a sense of mission on a common task.
—Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 27 Feb. 2013
As hip-hop rose from an underground phenomenon to a global vernacular, that esprit—of being the best, the baddest, the most beautiful—never vanished.
—Outside Online, 28 Oct. 2021
Each outfit in the show is accompanied by a headpiece that features a corresponding term, such as esprit, vitality, and self-determination.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2021
The assembly has moved online because of the coronavirus, compounding the pandemic's blows to the city's economy and worldly esprit.
—Jennifer Peltz, Star Tribune, 21 Sep. 2020
Longtime residents credit the company for the city’s somewhat international esprit and a level of spoken English beyond even the already-high Finnish norm (the city’s street names—Machine Alley; Adapter Street—are more unambiguous).
—Natasha Frost, Quartz, 29 Oct. 2019
College deans wanted to establish the same esprit-de-corps within houses as could be found in an exclusive fraternity, but that required engineering.
—Carla Yanni, Smithsonian, 6 Sep. 2019
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Time, 24 Aug. 2023
This, along with the character’s hardened esprit of the streets, lofts her off the page: Even a future movie star is having to make money.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 1 June 2020
The colony experiences the egalitarianism of a frontier reinforced by the esprit of a group of people working together with a sense of mission on a common task.
—Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 27 Feb. 2013
As hip-hop rose from an underground phenomenon to a global vernacular, that esprit—of being the best, the baddest, the most beautiful—never vanished.
—Outside Online, 28 Oct. 2021
Each outfit in the show is accompanied by a headpiece that features a corresponding term, such as esprit, vitality, and self-determination.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2021
The assembly has moved online because of the coronavirus, compounding the pandemic's blows to the city's economy and worldly esprit.
—Jennifer Peltz, Star Tribune, 21 Sep. 2020
Longtime residents credit the company for the city’s somewhat international esprit and a level of spoken English beyond even the already-high Finnish norm (the city’s street names—Machine Alley; Adapter Street—are more unambiguous).
—Natasha Frost, Quartz, 29 Oct. 2019
College deans wanted to establish the same esprit-de-corps within houses as could be found in an exclusive fraternity, but that required engineering.
—Carla Yanni, Smithsonian, 6 Sep. 2019
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Cite this Entry
“Esprit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/esprit. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
esprit
noun
es·prit
is-ˈprē 
: lively cleverness or wit
Etymology
from French esprit, literally, "spirit"
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