cherchez la femme
French, phrase/ʃɛʁ.ʃe la fam/
cherchez la femme is spelled C-H-E-R-C-H-E-Z-L-A-F-E-M-M-E (15 letters). Cherchez la femme is a French phrase meaning “A cliche in detective fiction, used to suggest that a mystery can be resolved by identifying a femme fatale or female love interest” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Quand un homme réussit, a du succès, il y a une maîtresse femme discrète, efficace et indispensable pour…”.
What does cherchez la femme mean in English?
phrase
- 1
A cliche in detective fiction, used to suggest that a mystery can be resolved by identifying a femme fatale or female love interest.
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
phrase: 1. Quand un homme réussit, a du succès, il y a une maîtresse femme discrète, efficace et indispensable pour comprendre les clés de la réussite de cet homme.
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.
Forms of cherchez la femme
- chercher la femme
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce cherchez la femme?
- /ʃɛʁ.ʃe la fam/
- \ʃɛʁ.ʃe la fam\
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.