oeuvre

noun

oeu·​vre ˈu̇-vrə 

ˈər-,

ˈə-,

ˈœ- 

plural oeuvres ˈu̇-vrə 

ˈə(r)-,

ˈœ- 

: a substantial body of work constituting the lifework of a writer, an artist, or a composer

a catalogue of Rembrandt's oeuvre

scrupulously examines Dickens' oeuvre in order to demonstrate how his convictions helped to determine the shape of his novels

—G. J. Worth

Synonyms

• output
• corpus

Examples of oeuvre in a Sentence

a novel that occupies a relatively minor position in the author's oeuvre

Recent Examples on the Web

The festival’s other major eat-the-rich polemic is, in the grand scheme of Yorgos Lanthimos’s oeuvre, a minor work, to be sure, but still a riveting, twisty, and raucously funny one. —Radhika Seth, Vogue, 5 Sep. 2025

Springsteen’s oeuvre is full of such moments. —Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025

The track was featured in a recent episode of the program, which is known for its high-profile music syncs – including more than one from Swift’s oeuvre. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2025

Other notable titles in his oeuvre include the Hotel Transylvania franchise (2012–2022), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), and A Minecraft Movie (2025). —EW.com, 19 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, literally, "work," going back to Old French ovre, going back to Latin opera "activity, effort, attention, work," collective derivative from oper-, opus "work, effort, product of labor" — more at opus

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for oeuvre

• louvre