tour de force
[ too r duh fawrs, -fohrs; French toor duh fawrs ]
/ ˌtʊər də ˈfɔrs, -ˈfoʊrs; French tur də ˈfɔrs /
noun, plural tours de force [too rz duh fawrs, -fohrs; French toor duh fawrs] /ˌtʊərz də ˈfɔrs, -ˈfoʊrs; French tur də ˈfɔrs/.
an exceptional achievement by an artist, author, or the like, that is unlikely to be equaled by that person or anyone else; stroke of genius: Herman Melville's Moby Dick was a tour de force.
a particularly adroit maneuver or technique in handling a difficult situation: The way the president got his bill through the Senate was a tour de force.
a feat requiring unusual strength, skill, or ingenuity.
Origin of tour de force
1795–1805; < French: feat of strength or skill
Words nearby tour de force
toulouse-lautrec, henri de,
toun,
toupee,
tour,
tour d'horizon,
tour de force,
tour en l'air,
tour jeté,
tour of duty,
tour operator,
tour-de-france
Example sentences from the Web for tour de force
British Dictionary definitions for tour de force
tour de force
/ French (tur də fɔrs, English ˈtʊə də ˈfɔːs) /
noun plural tours de force (tur, English ˈtʊə)
a masterly or brilliant stroke, creation, effect, or accomplishment
Word Origin for tour de force
literally: feat of skill or strength
Cultural definitions for tour de force
tour de force
[ (toor duh fawrs) ]
A feat accomplished through great skill and ability: “The speech was a tour de force; it swept the audience off its feet.”