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

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

His conviction has become a cause célèbre in libertarian circles.

From Salon • May 26, 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 posters in the paper-shop were placarded with the verdict in the Hamon trial; a cause célèbre which reached its crisis in Oklahoma while I was there.

From What I Saw in America by Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)