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Synonyms

objet trouvé

American  
[awb-zhe troo-vey] / ɔb ʒɛ truˈveɪ /

noun

French.

plural

objets trouvés
  1. found object.


objet trouvé British  
/ ɔbʒɛ truve /

noun

  1. any ordinary object considered from an aesthetic viewpoint

"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

Etymology

Origin of objet trouvé

C20: literally: found object

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.

Viewed at a certain level, "Casual" is a work of objet trouve, constructed from a mélange of currently popular TV tropes down to Silver Lake as the new Brooklyn.

From Los Angeles Times

Today, Fassbender is both Magneto in the ‘‘X-Men’’ series and a darling of critics and intellectuals; he’s somehow a pinup and an objet trouvé and also playing Steve Jobs.

From New York Times

The online, social equivalent of Duchamp’s readymade art, or objet trouvé.

From The Guardian

And, for the most part, Téchiné—whose natural mode is melodrama, as in such films as “French Provincial” and “My Favorite Season”—gives the objet trouvé just enough polish to showcase its natural allure.

From The New Yorker

The show consists of a single room-filling objet trouvé titled “Diamond Crossing.”

From New York Times