Force majeure ( , , or ; ) – or
vis major (
Latin) – meaning "superior force", also known as
cas fortuit (French) or
casus fortuitus (Latin) "chance occurrence, unavoidable accident", is a common clause in
contracts that essentially frees both parties from
liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties, such as a
war,
strike,
riot, crime, or an event described by the legal term
act of God (such as
hurricane,
flooding,
earthquake,
volcanic eruption, etc.), prevents one or both parties from fulfilling their obligations under the contract. In practice, most force majeure clauses do not excuse a party's non-performance entirely, but only suspend it for the duration of the force majeure.