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serrer les fesses

French, verb/sɛ.ʁe le fɛs/

serrer les fesses is a French verb meaning “to tighten up; to brace oneself” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Avoir peur”.

What does serrer les fesses mean in English?

verb

  1. 1

    informalto tighten up; to brace oneself

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

How French dictionaries define it

verb: 1. Avoir peur. 2. Se ratatiner pour passer dans un lieu étroit.

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 serrer les fesses?

  • /sɛ.ʁe le fɛs/
  • /se.ʁe le fɛs/
  • \sɛ.ʁe le fɛs\

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