- an exceptional achievement by an artist, author, or the like, that is unlikely to be equaled by that person or anyone else; stroke of genius: Herman Melville's Moby Dick was a tour de force.
- a particularly adroit maneuver or technique in handling a difficult situation: The way the president got his bill through the Senate was a tour de force.
- a feat requiring unusual strength, skill, or ingenuity.
- a masterly or brilliant stroke, creation, effect, or accomplishment