cause célèbre

American  

[kawz suh-leb-ruh, -leb, kohz sey-leb-r^uh] / ˈkɔz səˈlɛb rə, -ˈlɛb, koʊz seɪˈlɛb rə /

noun

causes célèbres plural

1. any controversy that attracts great public attention, as a celebrated legal case or trial.

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cause célèbre British  

/ koz selɛbrə, ˈkɔːz səˈlɛbrə, -ˈlɛb /

noun

1. a famous lawsuit, trial, or controversy

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cause célèbre Cultural  

1. A cause or issue, generally political, that arouses public opinion: “The question of the draft was a cause célèbre in the 1960s.” From French, meaning “celebrated cause.”

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• causes célèbres
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cause célèbre

First recorded in 1755–65; from French: literally, “famous case”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cause célèbre

In North Carolina, the author notes, the movement was helped along by a particular cause célèbre.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

Not surprisingly, the grave miscarriage of justice in his case has attracted national and international attention and made it a cause célèbre for people opposed to the death penalty and many supporters of capital punishment.

From Slate ● Oct. 18, 2024

As doubts about the sailors' guilt grew, their families began a campaign on their behalf, which became a cause célèbre in Brazil.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2024

When it premiered on New Year’s Day in the U.K., it moved a story that had been reported over the years but never taken up as a public cause célèbre onto the front page.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2024

The famous "Courier of Lyons," founded, indeed, upon a genuine cause célèbre, was a drama of this kind.

From A Book of the Play Studies and Illustrations of Histrionic Story, Life, and Character by Cook, Dutton