tour de force

US/ˌtuɹ.dəˈfoɹs/US/ˌtuɹ.dəˈfɔɹs/

noun

A feat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field.

“Now orbiting Earth, Gravity Probe B is a technological tour de force.”

Meanings

nountour de force (plural tours de force)

plural tours de force

  1. A feat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field.

    Now orbiting Earth, Gravity Probe B is a technological tour de force.

    1 more example

    Much as I admire Wilson’s tour de force—I wish people would read it more and read about it less—my hackles have always risen at the entirely false suggestion that his book influenced mine.

    1976, Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, Kindle edition, OUP Oxford, published 2016, page 429

Origin

  1. Frenchtour de force“feat of strength”
  2. Englishtour de force

Borrowed from French tour de force (“feat of strength”), circa 19th century.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 絕技 /绝技
  • 絕技 /绝技 (juéjì)Feat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field
Dutch tour de force, krachttoer
  • tour de forceFeat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field
  • krachttoerFeat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field
  • huzarenstukFeat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field
  • krachtdaadFeat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field
Estonian jõudemonstratsioon
  • jõudemonstratsioonFeat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field
Finnish voimannäyte, taidonnäyte
  • voimannäyteFeat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field
  • taidonnäyteFeat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field
  • loistosuoritusFeat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field
French exploit, tour de force
  • exploitFeat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field
  • tour de forceFeat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field
Greek κατόρθωμα
  • κατόρθωμα (katórthoma)Feat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field
Spanish tour de force
  • tour de forceFeat demonstrating brilliance or mastery in a field
Cite this entry
APA

tour de force. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tour%20de%20force

MLA

“tour de force.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tour%20de%20force. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tour de force,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tour%20de%20force.

Source: tour de force on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.