déjà vu

noun

dé·​jà vu ˌdā-ˌzhä-ˈvü  -ˈvᵫ 

1

a

: the illusion of remembering scenes and events when experienced for the first time

b

: a feeling that one has seen or heard something before

Despite a blond, swept-back mane all his own, Fonda looks startlingly like his father, Henry … . He even moves like his father, only dispelling the eerie feeling of déjà vu when he opens his mouth.

—Peter Biskind

2

: something overly or unpleasantly familiar

The team's poor start to the season was déjà vu for its long-suffering fans.

Examples of déjà vu in a Sentence

I entered the room and immediately felt a sense of déjà vu.

When the car broke down again, it was déjà vu.

The rise in housing costs is déjà vu all over again.

Recent Examples on the Web

That was enough to put the Padres on top, 2-1, and send shivers of deja vu throughout Dodgers fandom. —Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 25 Aug. 2025

Saturday night's San Diego Padres-Los Angeles Dodgers game brought about an uncomfortable moment of deja vu for New York Yankees fans. —Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025

Marseille’s supporters could be forgiven a sense of deja vu after seeing their club once again respond to the starting gun by clattering into the season’s first hurdle. —Tom Williams, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025

For fans wanting deja vu of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Panthers will take on the Edmonton Oilers twice during the regular season— once at home on Nov. 22 and once in Canada on March 19. —Kaitlyn Pohly, Miami Herald, 16 July 2025

In many ways the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion purge sweeping the nation, Indiana state government and educational institutions feels like deja vu. —Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 2 July 2025

But the idea of another talented young player becoming disgruntled is the worst kind of deja vu for Sabres fans. —Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 20 June 2025

When one genre becomes successful, other developers ape that aesthetic, and that creates deja vu projects that feel like an experience gamers have played before. —Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 30 May 2025

There is an early sense of deja vu about Everton’s summer window. —Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 21 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, adjective, literally, already seen

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

déjà vu

noun

dé·​jà vu ˌdā-ˌzhä-ˈvü 

-ˈvᵫ̅

: a feeling that one has seen or heard something before

Etymology

French, literally, "already seen"

Medical Definition

déjà vu

noun

dé·​jà vu ˌdā-ˌzhä-ˈv(y)ü, dā-zhȧ-vᵫ̅ 

: paramnesia sense b