Meaning & use
French merde
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrasevulgarslang
A vulgar French swear word meaning 'shit', used in English to suggest French rudeness or to swear humorously.
Grammar: Used as an exclamation or a noun; it keeps its French spelling and is not translated.
Patterns
- say French merde
- a bit of French merde
He dropped a loud 'French merde' when the wine bottle slipped.
The novel is full of French merde, which the translator leaves in French.
She muttered French merde under her breath and walked out.
phraseuncountablevulgarfigurative
Used figuratively to mean vulgar French behavior or language in general.
Grammar: Comes after words like 'a lot of' or 'full of'; it is not counted.
Patterns
- full of French merde
- a lot of French merde
The film is full of French merde and smoking.
Critics called the dialogue pure French merde.
Common combinations
- utter French merde
- He uttered French merde and slammed the door.
- French merde in the dialogue
- There is too much French merde in the dialogue.
- a string of French merde
- She answered with a string of French merde.
Synonyms and how they differ
- merde
- The French word alone; in English it is used the same way but without naming the language.
- swearing
- A neutral word for rude language in general; it does not carry the vulgar force of French merde.
Word family
- merde interjection
- The French swear word used alone in English writing.
Commonly confused: French merde or merde?
French merde vs merde
The bare French word; 'French merde' adds the language label, which is the English phrase learners meet in books.
Practice
In the sentence 'He shouted French merde and left', what does 'French merde' express?
Choose one answer.
'Merde' is a vulgar French swear word, so the phrase expresses swearing, not a greeting, dessert, or wine.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “French merde”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.