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changer la donne

French, verb/ʃɑ̃.ʒe la dɔn/

changer la donne is a French verb meaning “to change the game, to make a big difference, to be a game changer, to change everything” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Modifier la répartition des forces en présence, plus généralement modifier le contexte ou les conditions…”.

What does changer la donne mean in English?

verb

  1. 1

    to change the game, to make a big difference, to be a game changer, to change everything

Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How French dictionaries define it

verb: 1. Modifier la répartition des forces en présence, plus généralement modifier le contexte ou les conditions d'une opération.

The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.

Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.

How do you pronounce changer la donne?

  • /ʃɑ̃.ʒe la dɔn/
  • \ʃɑ̃.ʒe la dɔn\

Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.