force majeure
noun/ˌfɔːs mæˈʒɜː(r)/
/ˌfɔːrs məˈʒɜːr/
[uncountable] (from French, law)- unexpected circumstances, such as war, that can be used as an excuse when they prevent somebody from doing something that is written in a contractWord OriginFrench, literally ‘superior strength’.
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
force majeure