crème de la crème

American  

[krem duh lah krem, krem duh la krem] / ˈkrɛm də lɑ ˈkrɛm, krɛm də la ˈkrɛm /

noun

1. the very best; choicest parts or members.

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crème de la crème British  

/ krɛm də la krɛm /

noun

1. the very best

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crème de la crème Cultural  

1. The best of the best: “Our school's marching band is acknowledged as the crème de la crème.” From French, meaning “cream of the cream.”

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Etymology

Origin of crème de la crème

First recorded in 1840–50; literally, cream of the cream

Example Sentences

The 17 songs contained in this package represent the crème de la crème of superior American songs, nearly all of which were written for works of musical theater and film.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025

One of the planet's most stunning cities has played host to the "crème de la crème" of Olympic royalty.

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2024

We played with so many different elements, but what finally opened on Broadway was just the crème de la crème of all the things we had worked on for “Aladdin.”

From Washington Post • Apr. 10, 2023

But the crème de la crème is a complex series of shots that has Strange and America traveling through myriad otherworldly dimensions in order to escape their enemy.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2022

"This is the high-class motel, la crème de la crème, not to get too gross. Everyone would know everyone else's cars here."

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez