Dunkirk

[ duhn-kurk ]

/ ˈdʌn kɜrk /

noun

French Dun·kerque

[dœn-kerk] /dœ̃ˈkɛrk/. 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.

a period of crisis or emergency when drastic measures must be enforced: The smaller nations were facing a financial Dunkirk.

a city in W New York, on Lake Erie.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dunkerque

I am to join the corps at the end of the month, and must leave Dunkerque forthwith.
The Shoes of Fortune|Neil Munro
As he stepped out into the rue de Dunkerque he scarcely questioned in what direction his feet should carry him.
Max|Katherine Cecil Thurston
Some one says that a look-out at the lines, on seeing the flash of the gun, presses a button which rings a bell in Dunkerque.
'Green Balls'|Paul Bewsher
M. Loubet, calm and smiling, was starting for Dunkerque to meet his guests.
Their Majesties as I Knew Them|Xavier Paoli

They hurried away to the defence of Dunkerque, leaving behind them their artillery and a portion of their cavalry.
A Popular History of France From The Earliest Times|Francois Pierre Guillaume Guizot

British Dictionary definitions for dunkerque

Dunkerque

/ (French dœ̃kɛrk) /

noun

a port in N France, on the Strait of Dover: scene of the evacuation of British and other Allied troops after the fall of France in 1940; industrial centre with an oil refinery and naval shipbuilding yards. Pop: 70 850 (1999)English name: Dunkirk (dʌnˈkɜːk)

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

Culture definitions for dunkerque

Dunkirk

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.

Note

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