French Conversation · Level 98
60 words
French word
percée
Pronunciation
IPA/pɛʁse/
Meaning
- feminine nounbreakthrough
Example
La percée scientifique a changé la donne.
The scientific breakthrough changed the situation.
More examples
Il a fait une percée dans les négociations.
He made a breakthrough in the negotiations.
Core concept
A blocked route suddenly becomes passable, allowing progress into what was inaccessible.
Common phrases
faire une percée
make a breakthrough
une percée scientifique
a scientific breakthrough
une percée sur le marché
a breakthrough in the market
Similar words
avancée: An important advance in a particular field.
progrès: Gradual improvement made over time.
découverte: The discovery of previously unknown facts or information.
réussite: The successful achievement of a goal.
Definition in French
Ouverture réelle ou figurée qui permet de franchir un obstacle et entraîne un progrès notable.
Word origin
The noun comes from percer and follows an action-result pattern in which the ending -ée makes the result of the verb into a noun.
Usage tips
- In news and research, une percée usually signals a major breakthrough, not a small routine improvement.
Other meanings
- advancenoun
- openingnoun
Opposites
- stagnationstagnationnoun
- blocageblockagenoun
Related words
- percerbreak throughverb
- perçantpiercingadjective