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cause célèbre

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

ˈkɔːz sɛˈlɛbɹ(ə)Documented since 1750shistorical25 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
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Born ~1750 · no dated citations yet
1750BornToday, 2026

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UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK

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

Getting iced out by the tech giants turned Parler into a cause célèbre for conservatives who complained they were being censored, as well as a test case for the openness of the internet.
Origin: From cause + célèbre, in the title of an 18th-century compilation of famous legal cases, Causes célèbres. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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