coup de foudre

American  

[koo d^uh foo-dr^uh] / ku də ˈfu drə /

noun

French.

plural

coups de foudre

1. a thunderbolt.

2. love at first sight.

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coup de foudre British  

/ ku də fudrə /

noun

1. a sudden and amazing action or event

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Etymology

Origin of coup de foudre

First recorded in 1770–80; from French: literally “bolt of lightning”

Example Sentences

Later that decade, Leaf met Robert Frank, already a star photographer, in what she described as a coup de foudre: “I saw him, and I said, ‘There he is.’

From New York Times

Or all at once, in a coup de foudre, a lightning strike of, “Hey, this is my town!”

From Los Angeles Times

In fashion lore, it was a coup de foudre: love at first sight.

From Economist

In fashion lore, it was un coup de foudre: love at first sight.

From Economist

Could he have received the coup de foudre?—He had to-day a fancy for French tags, in reaction from the family's over-powering Englishness.—That wouldn't suit his book in the very least.

From Project Gutenberg