force majeure

American  

[fawrs ma-zhœr] / fɔrs maˈʒœr /

noun

Law.

• forces majeures
  plural

1. an unexpected and disruptive event that may operate to excuse a party from a contract.

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force majeure British  

/ ˈfɔːs mæˈʒɜː, -ˈdʒʊə /

noun

1. law irresistible force or compulsion such as will excuse a party from performing his or her part of a contract

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• forces majeures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of force majeure

First recorded in 1880–85; from French: literally, “superior force”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

force majeure

Earlier this month, less than two weeks before the attacks, a clause was added to their contracts, including drone attacks in the list of "force majeure events" for which Wildberries is not liable.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

QatarEnergy’s force majeure declaration may not have an immediate impact on MISC’s LNG carrier fleet, as charter payments remain protected under existing contracts, she says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

Purchasers have also been hit by the fact that many pre-war contracts governing prices have been suspended as producers cite "force majeure," forcing reliance on higher spot market prices.

From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026

QatarEnergy declared force majeure on some LNG contracts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026

And would have promised fifty times--with the reservation that I did so under force majeure.

From Shrewsbury A Romance by Stanley J. Weyman