cause célèbre

American  

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

noun

PLURAL

causes célèbres

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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Etymology

Origin of cause célèbre

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

Example Sentences

Corporate governance in Japan has suddenly become a cause celebre, and seems to be rousing the world's third-largest stock market out of decades of lethargy.

From Reuters

The expulsions quickly became a cause celebre on the left.

From Washington Times

Mackey’s trial has become a cause célèbre for some conservative personalities, including far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson, who has called the charges a politically motivated attack on free speech.

From Seattle Times

However, China has made it a cause celebre in its campaign to rally nationalism based on memories of Japan’s brutal invasion and occupation of much of China that ended in 1945.

From Seattle Times

Recently, a few pets have become cause celebre when their X-ray images went viral.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• hot potato
• talk of the town
• uproar