tour de force

(to͞or′ də fôrs′)

n. pl. tours de force (to͞or′)

A feat requiring great virtuosity or strength, often deliberately undertaken for its difficulty: "In an extraordinary structural tour de force the novel maintains a dual focus" (Julian Moynahan).

[French : tour, turn, feat + de, of + force, strength.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

tour de force

(tur də fɔrs; English ˈtʊə də ˈfɔːs)

n, pl tours de force (tur; English ˈtʊə)

a masterly or brilliant stroke, creation, effect, or accomplishment

[literally: feat of skill or strength]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

tour de force

(ˌtʊər də ˈfɔrs, -ˈfoʊrs)

n., pl. tours de force (tʊərz)

1. an exceptional achievement by an artist, author, or the like, that is unlikely to be equaled by that person or anyone else; stroke of genius.

2. a particularly adroit maneuver or technique in handling a difficult situation.

3. a feat requiring unusual strength, skill, or ingenuity.

[1795–1805; < French: feat of strength or skill]

tour de force

A French phrase meaning feat of strength, used to mean something that is done with great skill.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

tour de force - a masterly or brilliant feat

exploit, feat, effort - a notable achievement; "he performed a great feat"; "the book was her finest effort"

tour de force

noun

A great or heroic deed:

achievement, exploit, feat, gest, masterstroke, stunt.

Translations

tour de force

[ˈtʊədəˈfɔːs] N (tours de force (pl)) → proeza f, hazaña f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

tour de force

tour-de-force [ˌtʊə^rdəˈfɔː^rs] n → tour m de forcetour director n (US) → accompagnateur/trice m/fTourette's syndrome [tʊəˈ^rɛtssɪndrəʊm] Tourette syndrome [tʊəˈrɛtsɪndrəʊm] Tourette's [tʊəˈrets] n → syndrome m de Tourettetour guide n (= person) → guide mf

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

tour de force

n → Glanzleistung f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

tour de force

[ˈtʊədəˈfɔːs] n → tour de force m inv

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

The month of May was ever his tour de force. Each year he has strained and stimulated his art to surpass himself, seeking ever a finer and a brighter gold, a more celestial azure.

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For in those cases in which Holmes has performed some tour de force of analytical reasoning, and has demonstrated the value of his peculiar methods of investigation, the facts themselves have often been so slight or so commonplace that I could not feel justified in laying them before the public.

"You remember," said he, "that some little time ago, when I read you the passage in one of Poe's sketches, in which a close reasoner follows the unspoken thought of his companion, you were inclined to treat the matter as a mere tour de force of the author.

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Combining MITS with the product offerings of Compass Sales Solutions and Tour de Force allows these three companies to expand value for their customers by integrating CRM and BI / analytics into a single platform for existing and new customers.

Eden Capital Acquires MITS to Enhance Software Platform Featuring Compass Sales Solutions and Tour De Force

Michael Leather, who is taking on the Tour de Force despite three previous accidents while canoeing, trekking and cycling, was the inspiration for the team signing up the event.

Legal team INTOUR de Force

Michael, who is taking on the Tour de Force despite three previous serious accidents while out canoeing, trekking and cycling, was the inspiration for the team signing up the event.

Newcastle and Durham accountants in [pounds sterling]50,000 fundraising plea as they take on Tour de France; The team from Leathers LLP will be cycling the 3,344 kilometre route from Utrecht to Paris this year

The Tour de Force Orchestra performing in Huddersfield didn't impress this youngster, below |

A whole new life cycle for town's unique orchestra

HIGH ENERGY - Diane Shaw delivers a Motown tour de force

Return of the soul queen; The sounds of Motown will come alive at a Tyneside show later this week. Entertainment Editor GORDON BARR has the details

This ambitious installation is a tour de force that encourages reflection.

Jesus Martinez Oliva: Sala Veronicas

The "real tour de force" of these new experiments, comments Charles L.

Ghostly electrons: particles flit through atom-thin islands

His "historical" tour de force was a yellowed newspaper clipping he kept in his Bible History, which he would brandish every year when we got to the story of Jonah and the whale.

Bible history 101

How Brooks brings all these angles into play, while keeping the reader from knowing the truth, is quite a tour de force. There's only one brief hint to the answer we're all looking for ...

Bait and Switch