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cri de coeur

American  
[kreeduh-kœr, kree duh kur] / kridəˈkœr, ˈkri də ˈkɜr /

noun

French.
  • cris de coeur
    plural
  1. an anguished cry of distress or indignation; outcry.


cri de coeur British  
/ ˌkriː də ˈkɜː /

noun

  1. a cry from the heart; heartfelt or sincere appeal

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of cri de coeur

First recorded in 1895–1900; literally, “cry of (the) heart”


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.

See Examples For:

That’s part of the cri de coeur you hear on “By Numbers.”

From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026

He is the author of “Suicidal Empathy: Dying to Be Kind,” published in May, a cri de coeur against “maladaptively irrational altruism.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

This was not just a cri de coeur against ICE.

From Slate ● Dec. 20, 2025

And if his epic celebrates a certain type of monarchy and the invariably white races “of the West,” it is also a cri de coeur against authoritarianism, political division and the power of exploited grievance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2024

That very day, he dispatched to Ernest an indignant cri de coeur: Dear Lawrence: What is going on?

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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