tour de force

American  

[toor duh fawrs, -fohrs, toor duh fawrs] / ˌtʊər də ˈfɔrs, -ˈfoʊrs, tur də ˈfɔrs /

noun

• tours de force
  plural

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. a feat requiring unusual strength, skill, or ingenuity.

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tour de force British  

/ ˈtʊə də ˈfɔːs, tur də fɔrs /

noun

1. a masterly or brilliant stroke, creation, effect, or accomplishment

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tour de force Cultural  

1. A feat accomplished through great skill and ability: “The speech was a tour de force; it swept the audience off its feet.”

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tours de force
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tour de force

1795–1805; < French: feat of strength or skill

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tour de force

It’s clear Roth was aiming for a blood-and-guts tour de force, which this both is and isn’t.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

For one thing, the album’s 14 tracks are a tour de force, a masterpiece of inspired songwriting and musicianship.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

"It is a tour de force of Yao Xue's PhD thesis work, pairing an innovative approach with exceptional electrophysiological skill."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

But it was a tour de force from the NFL’s No. 1 destroyers of offense.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026

Its rolling periods, its fine orotundities, its balanced pairs, and its vivid sense of how history pivoted on this moment, on these men ... it was a tour de force.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith