déjà vu

or de·ja vu

[ dey-zhah voo, vyoo; French dey-zha-vy ]

/ ˌdeɪ ʒɑ ˈvu, ˈvyu; French deɪ ʒa ˈvü /

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See synonyms for déjà vu on Thesaurus.com

noun

Psychology. the illusion of having previously experienced something actually being encountered for the first time.

disagreeable familiarity or sameness: The new television season had a sense of déjà vu about it—the same old plots and characters with new names.

the sense or feeling of having previously experienced something that really has been encountered before: It was déjà vu at the bobsled track today as the U.S. team again claimed the top podium positions.

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of déjà vu

First recorded in 1900–05; from French: literally, “already seen”

usage note for déjà vu

See resume².

Words nearby déjà vu

deism, deisolate, deist, deity, deixis, déjà vu, deject, dejecta, dejected, dejection, déjeuner

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use déjà vu in a sentence

You’d be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu right now if you’re just tuning into today’s primaries in Virginia.
It’s Eerily Like 2009 in Virginia’s Gubernatorial Primary|Philip Elliott|June 8, 2021|Time
Nepal’s positivity rate is inching closer to 50 percent of all those tested, in what is starting to feel like déjà vu as the country tracks almost exactly the same trajectory India did two weeks ago.
Indians Run for the Exits, Taking COVID Risks With Them to Nepal, Dubai From a Dying Nation|Barbie Latza Nadeau|May 7, 2021|The Daily Beast
Stung by the departure of the Chargers and the half-dozen failed stadium plans that proceeded it, and the failed SoccerCity plan that followed it, San Diego’s most ardent sports fans experienced déjà vu.
Politics Report: Hotel Union Leader to Lead Union Leaders|Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts|March 27, 2021|Voice of San Diego
Investors who were around in 2009 might be having déjà vu this year.
The S&P 500 has been eerily mirroring 2009 for months. Now, here’s what might be in store for December|Anne Sraders|December 1, 2020|Fortune

The allegations against big tech in the US antitrust hearings this week had a feeling of déjà vu for India.
The US antitrust hearings on big tech have an important lesson for India|Ananya Bhattacharya|July 31, 2020|Quartz
He discusses the film, his Homeland Security fiasco, and why seeing Iraq in the news is giving him an awful sense of déjà vu.
Mark Ruffalo Blasts Iraq’s GOP Warmongers, Talks ‘Begin Again’ and ‘Avengers’|Marlow Stern|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And yet, this almost-unfathomable plot somehow manages to elicit a sense of déjà vu.
Young Adult Novel Adaptations Put Mainstream Blockbusters to Shame|Amy Zimmerman|June 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For Rich Tafel, the news from Texas brings a feeling of déjà vu.
Texas GOP Wants to ‘Cure’ Gays|James Kirchick|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Governments throughout Europe are having their Weimer moment—déjà vu with potentially ruinous consequences.
Fascism Is Fashionable Again in Europe|Thane Rosenbaum|June 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And anyone in Europe with a sense of history has a very uneasy feeling of déjà vu.
Crimea Is Gone—What Does NATO Do Next?|Christopher Dickey|March 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of them, a vivacious young Frenchwoman, was induced to give Barrois's romance, "J'ai vu fleurir notre dernier lilas!"
The Doctor of Pimlico|William Le Queux
J'ai vu M. le Baron d'Holbach dans deux voyages que j'ai faits aux eaux de Contrexville.
Baron d'Holbach|Max Pearson Cushing
Jamais vous n'avez grenouille vu de aussi modeste, aussi naturelle, douee comme elle l'etait!
Sketches New and Old, Part 1.|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Any animal possessing strength, has the terminal "fu" or "vu;" thus Njobvu, an elephant; M'vu, the hippopotamus.
The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 1865 to His Death, Volume I (of 2), 1866-1868|David Livingstone
La population de cette ville n'eut pas et aussi facile contenir que celle des villages ou on avait deja couru tant de perils.
Travels in France during the years 1814-1815|Archibald Alison

British Dictionary definitions for déjà vu

déjà vu

/ (ˈdeɪʒæ ˈvuː, French deʒa vy) /

noun

the experience of perceiving a new situation as if it had occurred before. It is sometimes associated with exhaustion or certain types of mental disorder

Word Origin for déjà vu

from French, literally: already seen

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

Cultural definitions for déjà vu

déjà vu

[ (day-zhah vooh) ]

The strange sensation that something one is now experiencing has happened before: “I knew I had never been in the house before, but as I walked up the staircase, I got a weird sense of déjà vu.” From French, meaning “already seen.”

déjà vu

or de·ja vu

Origin of déjà vu

usage note for déjà vu

Words nearby déjà vu

Words related to déjà vu

How to use déjà vu in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for déjà vu

Word Origin for déjà vu

Cultural definitions for déjà vu