oeuvre

noun

oeu·​vre ˈu̇-vrə How to pronounce oeuvre (audio)
ˈər-,
ˈə-,
ˈœ- How to pronounce oeuvre (audio)
plural oeuvres ˈu̇-vrə How to pronounce oeuvre (audio)
ˈə(r)-,
ˈœ- How to pronounce oeuvre (audio)
: 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 novelsG. J. Worth

Examples of oeuvre in a Sentence

a novel that occupies a relatively minor position in the author's oeuvre
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And how, as Owens readies an exhibition dedicated to his oeuvre at the Palais Galliera in Paris, which opens to the public Thursday. Miles Socha, Footwear News, 25 June 2025 Exploring revelatory new territory and enriched by dynamic video and performance clips from Joel’s musical oeuvre, many never before seen, the documentary gives a window into his process and chronicles his monumental successes, while diving into the hidden complexities of his life. Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 2025 Other exhibition highlights include several paintings of Montagne Sainte-Victoire, a limestone mountain ridge that hangs over Aix and appears more than 80 times in Cézanne’s oeuvre. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2025 Though Willis was influenced by the New York School, his oeuvre encompassed genres including Abstract Expressionism, lyrical abstraction, process art, postminimalism, Biomorphic Cubism (as Willis termed works in which intuition and geometry collided), and Color Field painting. News Desk, Artforum, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for oeuvre

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of oeuvre was in 1889

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Cite this Entry

“Oeuvre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oeuvre. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

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