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se tirer la bourre

French, verb/sə ti.ʁe la buʁ/

se tirer la bourre is a French verb meaning “to vie for first place, to compete fiercely” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Se livrer une âpre concurrence, se disputer une épreuve sportive, rivaliser”.

What does se tirer la bourre mean in English?

verb

  1. 1

    informalto vie for first place, to compete fiercely

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

How French dictionaries define it

verb: 1. Se livrer une âpre concurrence, se disputer une épreuve sportive, rivaliser.

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 se tirer la bourre?

  • /sə ti.ʁe la buʁ/
  • \sə ti.ʁe la buʁ\

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