Cornwallis

American

[kawrn-waw-lis, -wol-is] / kɔrnˈwɔ lɪs, -ˈwɒl ɪs /

noun

Charles, 1st Marquis, 1738–1805, British general and statesman: surrendered to Washington at Yorktown, Virginia, October 19, 1781.

Cornwallis British

/ kɔːnˈwɒlɪs /

noun

Charles, 1st Marquis Cornwallis. 1738–1805, British general in the War of American Independence: commanded forces defeated at Yorktown (1781): defeated Tipu Sahib (1791): governor general of Bengal (1786–93, 1805): negotiated the Treaty of Amiens (1801)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The barracks are thought to have been destroyed in 1781 by troops in the army of British Gen. Lord Charles Cornwallis.

From Seattle Times • May 16, 2024

This contest would be in The Cornwallis Post.

From Washington Post • Aug. 11, 2022

Cornwallis rested briefly in the coastal town of Wilmington and then headed north.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

Realizing that guerillas alone could not stop Cornwallis, Washington sent his ablest subordinate, General Nathanael Greene, to reconstitute the Continental Army in the South.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

The French aid had been a major reason why Washington was able to surround and force General Charles Cornwallis to surrender at Yorktown in 1781.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023