napoleon

[ nuh-poh-lee-uhn, -pohl-yuhn ]

/ nəˈpoʊ li ən, -ˈpoʊl yən /

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noun

a pastry consisting of thin layers of puff paste interlaid with a cream or custard filling.

a former gold coin of France, equal to 20 francs and bearing a portrait either of Napoleon I or of Napoleon III.

Cards.

a game in which the players bid for the privilege of naming the trump, stating the number of tricks they propose to win.
a bid in this game to take all five tricks of a hand.

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Origin of napoleon

First recorded in 1805–15, napoleon is from the French word napoléon

Words nearby napoleon

napkin, napkin ring, Naples, Naples yellow, Napo, napoleon, Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon I, Napoleonic, Napoleonic Code, Napoleonic Wars

Other definitions for napoleon (2 of 2)

Napoleon

[ nuh-poh-lee-uhn, -pohl-yuhn ]

/ nəˈpoʊ li ən, -ˈpoʊl yən /

noun

Louis

[loo-ee; French lwee]. /ˈlu i; French lwi/. Napoleon III.

a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use napoleon in a sentence

Believing you were Napoleon was so common in the mid-19th century that at one point the Bicêtre asylum alone registered some 15 or so emperors among its inmates.
History’s famous delusions, those who believed them — and why|Lucinda Robb|August 5, 2022|Washington Post
It’s worth pointing out that Napoleon was one leader who was quite inclined toward mathematics.
What’s Wrong With Shortcuts? (Ep. 483)|Stephen J. Dubner|November 18, 2021|Freakonomics
I have visited 53 battlefields that Napoleon fought on, and it has taken me a lot of time.
Napoleon Was a Dynamite Dictator|J.P. O’Malley|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In his new book, Roberts seeks to persuade his readers that Napoleon was not an evil monster.
Napoleon Was a Dynamite Dictator|J.P. O’Malley|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Where Napoleon went wrong was he simply took one bad decision to go north back through Smolensk, rather than going south.
Napoleon Was a Dynamite Dictator|J.P. O’Malley|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the Papal States Napoleon stopped the Jews having to wear the Papal star.
Napoleon Was a Dynamite Dictator|J.P. O’Malley|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So you are saying that Napoleon was not a totalitarian-dictator as many historians are eager to suggest?
Napoleon Was a Dynamite Dictator|J.P. O’Malley|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Marshals were inclined to attribute their disgrace to the ill-will of Berthier and not to the temper of Napoleon.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
On the establishment of the Empire Berthier, like many another, received the reward for his faithfulness to Napoleon.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Hence Napoleon was driven more and more to trust to the advice of the rash, unstable King of Naples.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Moreover, Napoleon, so great in many things, was so jealous of his own glory that he could be mean beyond words.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
He distinguished himself under Napoleon, by whom he was greatly lamented.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for napoleon

napoleon

/ (nəˈpəʊlɪən) /

noun

a former French gold coin worth 20 francs bearing a portrait of either Napoleon I or Napoleon III

cards the full name for nap 3 (def. 1)

the US name for millefeuille

Word Origin for napoleon

C19: from French napoléon, after Napoleon I

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