force majeure

American  

[fawrs ma-zhœr] / fɔrs maˈʒœr /

noun

Law.

forces majeures plural

1. an unexpected and disruptive event that may operate to excuse a party from a contract.

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force majeure British  

/ ˈfɔːs mæˈʒɜː, -ˈdʒʊə /

noun

1. law irresistible force or compulsion such as will excuse a party from performing his or her part of a contract

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• forces majeures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of force majeure

First recorded in 1880–85; from French: literally, “superior force”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

force majeure

“Many customers remain unaffected but we have had to declare force majeure in some cases for certain products,” a spokesperson said Monday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and a force majeure at Qatar’s Ras Laffan facility have knocked roughly a third External link of the world’s helium supply offline.

From Barron's ● Apr. 2, 2026

On Tuesday, QatarEnergy declared force majeure on some of ⁠its LNG supply contracts, including ‌customers ⁠in China, South Korea, Italy and Belgium.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026

It warned it would be forced to declare force majeure for up to five years on some long-term LNG contracts, signalling it may be unable to fulfill the agreements.

From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026

There was little that was obscure or inexplicable in the coup; it was an amazing display of force majeure, an act of stark audacity.

From The Sins of Séverac Bablon by Rohmer, Sax