crème de la crème

[ krem duh lah krem; French krem duh la krem ]

noun

1. the very best; choicest parts or members.

crème de la crème

/ krɛm də la krɛm /

noun

1. the very best

crème de la crème

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.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of crème de la crème¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of crème de la crème¹

literally: cream of the cream

Example Sentences

Similarly, I spoke to the owner of a bank in NYC who laughingly referred to his donors as the “crème de la crème.”

From The Daily Beast

Montenegro is fast gaining a reputation as the crème de la crème in glamorous Mediterranean destinations.

From The Daily Beast

But you get the point: Let yourself rise to the top with the crème de la crème.

From The Daily Beast

Our circles are within and within each other, until we come to the crème de la crème of the Lunts and six other families.

From Project Gutenberg

Crème de la crème—business, finance, politics, and one big union-leader who's known to be a conservative.

From Project Gutenberg