touché
/tu.ʃe/
The English phrase "touche" can be expressed in French as touché.
In French, touché is used to acknowledge that an opponent has made a clever or effective point in an argument or to concede defeat.
How do you pronounce it?
/tu.ʃe/
Did you know?
- The phrase is the past participle of the verb toucher, which is also used in French to describe the act of receiving a salary or a pension.
- In French, touché is a masculine singular adjective. If a female fencer were technically the one being 'touched' in a literal grammatical sense, the form would be touchée.
- The term transitioned from the physical blade of a sword to the metaphorical 'blade' of a sharp wit through the international popularity of fencing as a sport.
Examples in context
- Touché, je n'avais pas vu ça.Touché, I hadn't seen that.
- Touché ! Tu as marqué un point.Touché! You made a point.
Example conversation
Two friends are having a lighthearted debate about a movie.
- NathanLe héros n'est pas vraiment courageux, il a juste de la chance.The hero isn't really brave, he's just lucky.
- ManonMais sans sa chance, il n'aurait pas survécu à la première scène !But without his luck, he wouldn't have survived the first scene!
- NathanTouché, Manon. Tu as raison sur ce coup-là.Touché, Manon. You're right on that one.
- ManonJe savais que je te vaindrais.I knew I would defeat you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry touché, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
