crème de la crème

American  

[krem duh lah krem, krem duh la krem] / ˈkrɛm də lɑ ˈkrɛm, krɛm də la ˈkrɛm /

noun

1. the very best; choicest parts or members.

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crème de la crème British  

/ krɛm də la krɛm /

noun

1. the very best

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crème de la crème Cultural  

1. The best of the best: “Our school's marching band is acknowledged as the crème de la crème.” From French, meaning “cream of the cream.”

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Etymology

Origin of crème de la crème

First recorded in 1840–50; literally, cream of the cream

Example Sentences

The crème de la crème, however, is the pro shop, which is the only place where one can buy an item adorned with the Club’s logo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

One of the planet's most stunning cities has played host to the "crème de la crème" of Olympic royalty.

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2024

We played with so many different elements, but what finally opened on Broadway was just the crème de la crème of all the things we had worked on for “Aladdin.”

From Washington Post • Apr. 10, 2023

The top-end S21 Ultra was the crème de la crème, with a slightly bigger 6.8-inch display, a whopping 108MP main rear camera, a 40MP front-facing camera — and an equally whopping starting price of $1,199.

From The Verge • Feb. 10, 2022

Namely, that the putative crème de la crème impart their enriching essence to the milkier orders.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell