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

When the Kansas men’s basketball team looks back on its performance vs. Arizona on Thursday, there will be an intense feeling of deja vu. —Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 14 Mar. 2025

If the pictures are giving you a bit of deja vu, that's perfectly normal. —Ars Technica, 11 Mar. 2025

The anxieties surrounding a China market slowdown gives a sense of deja vu, said Woodring. —Hakyung Kim, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2025

As the Sens kept losing, the team’s confidence plummeted, and an underachieving November had fans and players feeling deja vu. —Julian McKenzie, The Athletic, 28 Dec. 2024

Maresca admits to feeling a case of deja vu right now. —Simon Johnson, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025

Followers of men’s football may be experiencing a strange sensation of deja vu at this point. —Jessy Parker Humphreys, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025

These words resonated with the club’s owners, but might have prompted a sense of deja vu among the fans, who have become sceptical after previous promises of what proved false dawns under big-name coaches. —Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025

Among Showbiz Recipients Tim Cook To Donate $1 Million To Trump Inauguration With C-SPAN cameras allowed independent access to the chamber to capture candid moments, the vote was a bit of a deja vu of two years ago. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 3 Jan. 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