esprit de corps
A shared spirit of comradeship, enthusiasm, and devotion to a cause among the members of a group, for example of a military unit.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The team has a strong esprit de corps.”
“Shared goals help create a natural esprit de corps within the volunteer group.”
“You can feel the esprit de corps when the choir members sing together.”
“The captain gave a speech to boost the team's esprit de corps before the final match.”
“The office staff organized a weekend hiking trip to build a sense of esprit de corps after a very stressful month of deadlines.”
“When the kitchen gets busy, the chefs rely on their esprit de corps to stay calm and help each other finish the orders.”
“The long months of shared hardship in the field fostered an unbreakable esprit de corps among the soldiers, binding them together through every challenge they faced.”
Borrowed unadapted from the French phrase *esprit de corps*, literally translating as spirit of body. The term combines the French *esprit*, meaning spirit, with *de*, meaning of, and *corps*, meaning body.
Last updated August 10, 2026