Marseillaise

American  

[mahr-suh-layz, -say-ez, mar-se-yez] / ˌmɑr səˈleɪz, -seɪˈɛz, mar sɛˈjɛz /

noun

1. the French national anthem, written in 1792 by Rouget de Lisle.

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Marseillaise British  

/ marsɛjɛz, ˌmɑːsəˈleɪz /

noun

1. the French national anthem. Words and music were composed in 1792 by C. J. Rouget de Lisle as a war song for the Rhine army of revolutionary France

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Etymology

Origin of Marseillaise

C18: from French ( chanson ) Marseillaise song of Marseille (it was first sung in Paris by the battalion of Marseille)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Marseillaise

Her students have taken to singing La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, in protest.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

A version of La Marseillaise belted out on a busy metro train after the opening ceremony surpassed the more mumbly performance heard in the rain-soaked stands of the Trocadéro during the official event.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2024

The moment wasn’t quite on par with the legendary scene from the film “Casablanca,” when Victor Laszlo leads the crowd at Rick’s Café Americain in singing La Marseillaise in defiance of Nazi officers.

From New York Times ● Jun. 23, 2023

The mood became intimidating when some sections of the crowd jeered the French national anthem, La Marseillaise.

From Fox News ● Jun. 19, 2021

After this came in slow movement the strains of the Marseillaise, which were soon followed by the Chant du Départ, and then by the Girondins' celebrated chant, Mourir pour la Patrie.

From Victor Hugo: His Life and Works by G. Barnett Smith

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