déjà vu

noun

1
a
: the illusion of remembering scenes and events when experienced for the first time
b
: a feeling that one has seen or heard something before
Despite a blond, swept-back mane all his own, Fonda looks startlingly like his father, Henry … . He even moves like his father, only dispelling the eerie feeling of déjà vu when he opens his mouth.Peter Biskind
2
: something overly or unpleasantly familiar
The team's poor start to the season was déjà vu for its long-suffering fans.

Examples of déjà vu in a Sentence

I entered the room and immediately felt a sense of déjà vu. When the car broke down again, it was déjà vu. The rise in housing costs is déjà vu all over again.
Recent Examples on the Web Surfacing from the book’s pages into its real world setting evoked an eerie sense of deja vu, with the city’s modern self lightly superimposed over the historic landmarks that fill a reader’s imagination. Amber Turpin, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 Kansas can’t defend the long ball Kansas fans may feel a sense of deja vu. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2024 Balancing all of those worlds kind of feels like deja vu. Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 2 Feb. 2024 But Wednesday’s scene was deja vu for a House Republican majority that’s repeatedly struggled to coalesce on spending issues. Lauren Peller, ABC News, 10 Jan. 2024 While this may all sound distinctly new and unique to part-time horror fans, aficionados of the genre may feel a rather strong sense of deja vu. Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2023 There’s been a lot of deja vu with little things that have happened that feels reminiscent of my rookie year. Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 6 Sep. 2023 If their applause on Tuesday brings a feeling of deja vu, there's good reason. David Jackson, USA TODAY, 2 Aug. 2023 Bomba had deja vu from San Francisco, where the air was so thick with smoke people had to mask up. Seth Borenstein and Melina Walling, Anchorage Daily News, 1 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'déjà vu.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, adjective, literally, already seen

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of déjà vu was in 1903

Dictionary Entries Near déjà vu

Cite this Entry

“Déjà vu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/d%C3%A9j%C3%A0%20vu. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

déjà vu

noun
dé·​jà vu ˌdā-ˌzhä-ˈvü How to pronounce déjà vu (audio)
-ˈvᵫ̅
: a feeling that one has seen or heard something before
Etymology

French, literally, "already seen"

Medical Definition

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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