cause célèbre
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cause célèbre
First recorded in 1755–65; from French: literally, “famous case”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In North Carolina, the author notes, the movement was helped along by a particular cause célèbre.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
By that fall, Drakeo had become a cause célèbre.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2025
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
I shall never forget the brilliant way he spoke in a cause célèbre which occupied public attention not long ago.
From A Very Naughty Girl by Meade, L. T.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
