tour de force

noun \ ˌtu̇r-də-ˈfȯrs \

Updated on: 18 May 2018

Definition of tour de force

plural tours de force play \ˌtu̇r-də-ˈfȯrs\

: a feat or display of strength, skill, or ingenuity

the movie is a comic tour de force

See tour de force defined for English-language learners

Examples of tour de force in a Sentence

The book is a tour de force.
Her performance in the play was a real tour de force.

Recent Examples of tour de force from the Web

But, even with that, this was truly a tour de force of wretched business sense by the Glass family and the business department that was basically cleaned out shortly after the contract was signed.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "Mellinger Minutes: Vermes' future, Royals' good stretch, whiny QBs, DJ as a Raider & more | The Kansas City Star," 8 May 2018
Bayou Bend Fashion Show and Luncheon chair Eliza Stedman raised an additional $380,000 and became the tour de force behind Loro Piana's inaugural runway show.

— amber elliott, Houston Chronicle, "Two glamorous Bayou Bend parties, one record-breaking weekend for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," 10 Apr. 2018
In a tour de force performance that involved multiple role reversals, Wolf actually gave the press corps a kind of moral lesson.

— rhonda garelick, The Cut, "It’s Okay to Be Offended by Michelle Wolf’s Jokes," 30 Apr. 2018
This Aston Martin Vanquish is a tour de force of automobile engineering and a distinct pleasure to drive.

— lisa marie segarra, Fortune, "Daniel Craig's Aston Martin Sells for More Than $400K at Auction," 21 Apr. 2018
The piece is a technical tour de force for the solo violin, including the slippery sounds of the player slurring through passages of harmonics.

— elaine schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Program change makes for an effective blend in Milwaukee Symphony performance," 2 Feb. 2018
The vehicles range from supercars like those that adorn a Mission Impossible or James Bond blockbuster, to superstar collector cars to technological tour de forces.

— jeff yip, Houston Chronicle, "New Wrangler, Ram, Silverado, Mustang 'Bullitt' star at Houston Auto Show," 24 Jan. 2018
All that, of course, is beyond the scope of this film, which is a razor-sharp, meticulously recreated, and finely acted tour de force.

— corey seymour, Vogue, "Borg Vs. McEnroe Is The Tennis Movie We’ve Been Waiting For," 13 Apr. 2018
The duo is legendary in biotech circles for turning Kite’s high-risk bet into a tour de force that last year resulted in the first CAR-T approval in adults and a $11.9 billion acquisition by Gilead Sciences.

— rebecca robbins, STAT, "Sign up for our biotech newsletter, The Readout," 3 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tour de force.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tour de force

French

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1802

in the meaning defined above

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tour de force Synonyms

Synonyms

deed, exploit, feat, number, stunt, trick;

adventure;

performance;

TOUR DE FORCE Defined for English Language Learners

tour de force

noun

Definition of tour de force for English Language Learners

: a very skillful and successful effort or performance

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tour de force

Definition of tour de force

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tour de force

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