Dunkirk

American  

[duhn-kurk] / ˈdʌn kɜrk /

noun

1. French Dunkerque.  a seaport in N France: site of the evacuation of a British expeditionary force of over 330,000 men under German fire May 29–June 4, 1940.

2. a period of crisis or emergency when drastic measures must be enforced.

   The smaller nations were facing a financial Dunkirk.

3. a city in W New York, on Lake Erie.

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Dunkirk Cultural  

1. The scene of a remarkable, though ignominious, retreat by the British army in World War II. Dunkirk, a town on the northern coast of France, was the last refuge of the British during the fall of France, and several hundred naval and civilian vessels took the troops back to England in shifts over three days.

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The term Dunkirk is sometimes used to signify a desperate retreat.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Dunkirk

The Gravelines nuclear power plant, near the northern city of Dunkirk, is the largest in Western Europe, with six 900-megawatt reactors.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Aneurin Barnard, known for appearing in Dunkirk and Peaky Blinders, was involved in the alleged incident before the premiere of his new film at Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

It will also work with French energy-technology company Schneider Electric to build facilities to make components for the data centers near the port city of Dunkirk in the north of the country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

We sent an undercover researcher, posing as a migrant trying to cross the Channel illegally with his child, into a migrant camp in Dunkirk.

From BBC ● May 18, 2026

Their route was taking them well to the right of the cloud, to the east of Dunkirk, toward the Belgian border.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan