pièce de résistance

noun

pièce de ré·​sis·​tance pē-ˌes-də-rə-ˌzē-ˈstän(t)s How to pronounce pièce de résistance (audio)
-rā-,
-ˈstäⁿs
plural pièces de résistance pē-ˌes-də-rə-ˌzē-ˈstän(t)s How to pronounce pièce de résistance (audio)
-rā-,
-ˈstäⁿs
1
: the chief dish of a meal
2
: an outstanding item or event : showpiece

Examples of pièce de résistance in a Sentence

The pièce de résistance of the whole concert was when the two bands came onstage to perform together. The waiter suggested we try the restaurant's pièce de résistance: the chocolate soufflé.
Recent Examples on the Web There’s no time now to categorize Curry’s history, but this may have been his piece de resistance, his magnum opus. Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2023 The six touchdowns Davis scored on Notre Dame that day in December 1972 would go down as one of the greatest single-game performances in college football history, the piece de resistance of a storybook ‘72 season for USC that still ranks among the best the sport has ever seen. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2022 The piece de resistance? Thomas Adamson, ajc, 2 Mar. 2023 And the piece de resistance? Lisa Wood Shapiro, refinery29.com, 14 Sep. 2020 But the piece de resistance is the red fox fur jacket that Hutton threw on top on her way in. Tara Gonzalez, Harper's BAZAAR, 10 Mar. 2023 The piece de resistance was the cover, which everyone wanted to be a tender moment between two friends and collaborators. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 8 Feb. 2023 The piece de resistance came at 13:08 of the second period when Swayman stopped a breakaway by the dangerous Artemi Panarin, who had gotten past Charlie McAvoy and was cooking with gas on the way toward the goal. Tara Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Jan. 2023 Chocolate pudding, crumbled Oreos, gummy worms and, the piece de resistance of this particular version, chocolate rocks. Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 21 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pièce de résistance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, piece of resistance

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pièce de résistance was in 1789

Dictionary Entries Near pièce de résistance

Cite this Entry

“Pièce de résistance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pi%C3%A8ce%20de%20r%C3%A9sistance. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pièce de résistance

noun
pièce de ré·​sis·​tance pē-ˌes-də-rə-ˌzē-ˈstän(t)s How to pronounce pièce de résistance (audio)
plural pièces de résistance
same
 How to pronounce pièce de résistance (audio)
1
: the main dish of a meal
2
: an outstanding item or event : showpiece
Etymology

French, literally, "piece of resistance"

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