crème de la crème

[ krem duh lah krem; French krem duh la krem ]

noun

1. the very best; choicest parts or members.

crème de la crème

/ krɛm də la krɛm /

noun

1. the very best

crème de la crème

1. The best of the best: “Our school's marching band is acknowledged as the crème de la crème.” From French, meaning “cream of the cream.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of crème de la crème¹

First recorded in 1840–50; literally, cream of the cream

Word History and Origins

Origin of crème de la crème¹

literally: cream of the cream

Example Sentences

She told police: "I wanted her on the unit, I really did. When students come through the system you are almost able to hand-pick the creme de la creme and she was one of those."

From BBC

A nursing boss has told a public inquiry she never had any evidence of wrongdoing by "creme de la creme" nurse Lucy Letby.

From BBC

One of the planet's most stunning cities has played host to the "crème de la crème" of Olympic royalty.

From BBC

He was joined by what he called the “crème de la crème” of European companies with a strong interest in a new source of lithium.

From BBC

Our reporters will be bringing you all the glitz and glamour from the red carpet as the crème de la crème of the TV world descend on the Royal Festival Hall in London ahead of this afternoon’s awards ceremony.

From BBC