cri de coeur
Americannoun
noun
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.
It was an uninspiring cri de coeur and reflective of a campaign that wasn’t apocalyptic enough for those, such as Pratt’s people, who want radical change, while offering nothing new for Bass supporters.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
As the Pratt and Bass characters duel with light-sabers, the video closes with a cri de coeur: “L.A. is worth saving.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026
Supreme Court as a kind of cri de coeur, asking, Can we please talk about the death penalty?
From Slate • Oct. 16, 2024
The defence argued it was an anguished cri de coeur written by the wrongly accused.
From BBC • Aug. 18, 2023
That very day, he dispatched to Ernest an indignant cri de coeur: Dear Lawrence: What is going on?
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
