force majeure

Noun

force majeure (usually uncountable, plural forces majeures)

1. (usually) An overwhelming force.
   • They [children] realize their oughts no less sharply than their crosses; and this even though they are midgets in a land of giants who have forgotten much of their language and whose right is often founded solely on force majeure.1930, Walter de la Mare, Poems for Children, London: Constable & Co., →OCLC, page xxix; republished in “[The Children’s Bookshop] Children and Childhood”, in Henry Seidel Canby, editor, The Saturday...
   • Gen Y is a "force majeure" that will determine the future of the housing market. They are looking for housing solutions that cater to their mobile- and technology-focused lifestyles.2013 October 31, “A&E 2013 Surveys: Weber Thompson”, in Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland, Or.: Daily Journal of Commerce, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 Nov 2021
2. (usually) An unavoidable circumstance, especially one that prevents someone from fulfilling a legal (usually contractual) obligation.
   • Brazil's largest trader of sugar and ethanol declared force majeure to some third party exporters of sugar with contracts to ship through its Santos Port terminal that burned down on Friday, sources in the sugar trade said.2013 October 22, “Brazil’s Copersucar Declares Force Majeure to 3rd Party Sugar Shippers”, in Reuters, archived from the original on 17 Nov 2023
   • 18. GNM [Guardian News & Media Limited] shall not be liable for any failure to comply with its obligations where the failure is caused by something outside its reasonable control. Such circumstances shall include, but not be limited to, weather conditions, fire, flood, hurricane, strike, industrial...2013 November 3, “Observer Magazine Competition: Win a Moncrief bag and Ipad case! [terms and conditions]”, in The Observer, London, archived from the original on 23 Nov 2021