chef-d'oeuvre

[ French she-dœ-vruh ]

noun

, plural chefs-d'oeu·vre [she-, dœ, -v, r, uh].

1. a masterpiece, especially in art, literature, or music.

chef-d'oeuvre

/ ʃɛdœvrə /

noun

1. a masterpiece

Word History and Origins

Origin of chef-d'oeuvre¹

Borrowed into English from French around 1610–20

Example Sentences

Thirty-five years after "Die Hard" hit theaters, the Bruce Willis vehicle maintains its rep as a chef-d'oeuvre due to its perennial relevance.

From Salon

But the worst of all is that this crocodile imagines that it is a chef-d'oeuvre and that it has a monopoly on all the tender passions.

From Project Gutenberg

His beautiful lines on the death of his wife are a chef-d'oeuvre of mourning poetry and one of the gems of literature.

From Project Gutenberg

He knew it to be his chef-d'oeuvre, and looked forward, with a natural eagerness, to the moment when he should display it before its future possessors, and receive their congratulations on his success.

From Project Gutenberg

The dinner—and it was a "chef-d'oeuvre" on the part of Mrs. Branagan—passed off most pleasantly.

From Project Gutenberg