Arc de Triomphe

American  

[ark duh tree-awnf] / ark də triˈɔ̃f /

noun

1. an arch, located in Paris, begun in 1806 by Napoleon in honor of his victorious armies and completed in 1836. The unknown soldier of France and an eternal flame were placed beneath the arch after World War I.

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Arc de Triomphe British  

/ ark də trijɔ̃f, ˈɑːk də ˈtriːəʊmf /

noun

1. the triumphal arch in Paris begun by Napoleon I to commemorate his victories of 1805–6 and completed in 1836

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Etymology

Origin of Arc de Triomphe

First recorded in 1810–20; from French: “arch of triumph”

Example Sentences

I’m sipping coffee out of my “embarrassing” Starbucks mug as I write this and thinking about the climb up the Arc de Triomphe with my daughter on her first visit last year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026

Trump’s proposed arch would be more than 50 feet taller than the North Korean arch, which is itself 33 feet taller than the Arc de Triomphe.

From Salon • May 3, 2026

Trump has also proposed building an enormous, 250-foot tall "Independence Arch" -- reminiscent of Paris' Arc de Triomphe -- on the bank of the Potomac River near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Epstein was frequently in France in the 15 years before his death, owning a vast apartment near the Arc de Triomphe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

To appreciate what has been lost in twenty-three centuries, imagine a certain city in north-central France—and take away the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Sorbonne, the Arc de Triomphe, Napoleon’s Tomb, and Notre Dame.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro