Phrase guide

cause célèbre

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈkɔːz sɛˈlɛbɹ(ə)/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈkɔz səˈlɛb/
  • US: /-ˈlɛbɹə/
  • US:
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • /ˈkoʊz seɪˈlɛbɹ(ə)/ like French

1

noun

Meaning 1

An issue or incident (originally, a legal case) arousing widespread controversy or public debate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From French cause (“cause, case”) + célèbre (“famous”), in the title of an 18th-century compilation of famous legal cases, Causes célèbres.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 引起轟動的事件 /引起轰动的事件 (yǐnqǐ hōngdòng de shìjiàn) — issue or incident arousing heated public debate
  • Dutch: cause célèbre — issue or incident arousing heated public debate
  • Finnish: kohuoikeudenkäynti — issue or incident arousing heated public debate
  • French: fait polémique — issue or incident arousing heated public debate
  • German: Cause célèbre — issue or incident arousing heated public debate
  • German: aufsehenerregende Sache — issue or incident arousing heated public debate
  • German: berühmter Fall — issue or incident arousing heated public debate
  • Italian: caso famoso — issue or incident arousing heated public debate
  • Polish: głośna sprawa — issue or incident arousing heated public debate
  • Portuguese: acontecimento polémico — issue or incident arousing heated public debate
  • Russian: гро́мкое де́ло (grómkoje délo) — issue or incident arousing heated public debate
  • Spanish: tema de interés — issue or incident arousing heated public debate
  • Swedish: cause célèbre — issue or incident arousing heated public debate