tour de force
noun
plural tours de force
ˌtu̇r-də-ˈfȯrs 
: a feat or display of strength, skill, or ingenuity
the movie is a comic tour de force
Examples of tour de force in a Sentence
The book is a tour de force.
Her performance in the play was a real tour de force.
Recent Examples on the Web
The latest additions to the Streamliner collection are indeed a mechanical tour de force, and yet H. Moser is a brand known for its ability to inject some levity into an otherwise sober industry through the use of materials, textures, finishes, and colors—and even irony.
—
Blake Buettner, Robb Report, 8 May 2024
Back in 2017, their press tour for Spider-Man: Homecoming was a flirtatious tour de force: Zendaya always doubled over in laughter, Tom comforting an anxious Zendaya with a gentle hand on her knee, both of them constantly pulling the same silly face or one-liner out at the same exact time.
—Ivana Rihter, Vogue, 3 May 2024
The tense meeting at a community center that follows is the film’s narrative centerpiece and one of the year’s great, sustained cinematic sequences—a tour de force of swiftly escalating stakes, tense character interplay, and deft exposition.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 May 2024
Some warnings are better heard without shouting, as Coppola’s elegant and wrenching tour de force attests.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
His tour de force is aspirational, inspirational and offers lessons for all of us.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024
What this absolutism produced, of course, was not another fusty neo-Edwardian novel à la Orwell’s earlier Keep the Aspidistra Flying, but a wild, aggrieved tour de force of dystopian erotica.
—Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024
Jones, a scene-stealer in supporting roles for years, gives a tour de force lead performance that toggles between unsettling, yearning and tender.
—Jen Yamato, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
The album in question is, of course, My 21st Century Blues, an evocative tour de force of fearless songwriting and bombastic vocal performances.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 14 Mar. 2024
Blake Buettner, Robb Report, 8 May 2024
Back in 2017, their press tour for Spider-Man: Homecoming was a flirtatious tour de force: Zendaya always doubled over in laughter, Tom comforting an anxious Zendaya with a gentle hand on her knee, both of them constantly pulling the same silly face or one-liner out at the same exact time.
—Ivana Rihter, Vogue, 3 May 2024
The tense meeting at a community center that follows is the film’s narrative centerpiece and one of the year’s great, sustained cinematic sequences—a tour de force of swiftly escalating stakes, tense character interplay, and deft exposition.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 May 2024
Some warnings are better heard without shouting, as Coppola’s elegant and wrenching tour de force attests.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
His tour de force is aspirational, inspirational and offers lessons for all of us.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024
What this absolutism produced, of course, was not another fusty neo-Edwardian novel à la Orwell’s earlier Keep the Aspidistra Flying, but a wild, aggrieved tour de force of dystopian erotica.
—Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024
Jones, a scene-stealer in supporting roles for years, gives a tour de force lead performance that toggles between unsettling, yearning and tender.
—Jen Yamato, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
The album in question is, of course, My 21st Century Blues, an evocative tour de force of fearless songwriting and bombastic vocal performances.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 14 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tour de force.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tour de force
Cite this Entry
“Tour de force.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tour%20de%20force. Accessed 12 May. 2024.
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