tour de force

American  

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

noun

plural

tours de force

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.

---

tour de force British  

/ ˈtʊə də ˈfɔːs, tur də fɔrs /

noun

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

---

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.”

---

Etymology

Origin of tour de force

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

Example Sentences

The victory over the three-time Champions League winners, who are sitting pretty atop Serie A, continued Bodo's surprise tour de force in the competition.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 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

David Galperin, head of contemporary art at Sotheby's New York, said: "America is Maurizio Cattelan's tour de force."

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2025

Julianne Moore, “Sirens” “Cristin Milioti brought arguably the tour de force of the year in ‘The Penguin.’

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2025

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