tour de force

noun

ˌtu̇r-də-ˈfȯrs 

plural tours de force ˌtu̇r-də-ˈfȯrs 

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

the movie is a comic tour de force

Synonyms

• deed
• exploit
• feat
• number
• stunt
• trick

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 on the Web

The small details observed in the finishing both within the dial and on the case are a tour de force, once again forcing a closer look to fully appreciate. —Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 1 Nov. 2024

Stream on Paramount + Seriously Unsettling: Midsommar (2019) Florence Pugh gives a tour de force as a grieving young woman who accompanies her distant boyfriend to a midsummer festival in a remote area of Sweden. —Eric Andersson, People.com, 12 Oct. 2024

Back at Higashiyama, be sure to reserve an omakase tour de force at Sushi Nagi. —Jake Emen, Robb Report, 1 Oct. 2024

Watching this tour de force rip through her slutty, peppy, era-defining songs, there was not an inch of doubt about who was calling the shots. —Alice Newbold, Vogue, 13 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1802, in the meaning defined above