Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

Napoleon I

noun
  1. Napoleon Bonapartethe Little Corporal, 1769–1821, French general born in Corsica: emperor of France 1804–15.
Show More

Bonaparte

[boh-nuh-pahrt; French baw-na-part]
noun
  1. Jé·rôme [juh-rohm; French zhey-rohm] /dʒəˈroʊm; French ʒeɪˈroʊm/, 1784–1860, king of Westphalia 1807 (brother of Napoleon I).
  2. Jo·seph [joh-zuh f, -suh f; French zhaw-zef] /ˈdʒoʊ zəf, -səf; French ʒɔˈzɛf/, 1768–1844, king of Naples 1806–08; king of Spain 1808–13 (brother of Napoleon I).
  3. Lou·is [loo-ee; French lwee; Dutch loo-ee] /ˈlu i; French lwi; Dutch luˈi/, 1778–1846, king of Holland 1806–10 (brother of Napoleon I).
  4. Lou·is Na·po·lé·on [loo-ee nuh-poh-lee-uh n; French lwee na-paw-ley-awn] /ˈlu i nəˈpoʊ li ən; French lwi na pɔ leɪˈɔ̃/. Napoleon III.
  5. Lu·cien [loo-shuh n; French ly-syan] /ˈlu ʃən; French lüˈsyɛ̃/, 1775–1840, prince of Canino, a principality in Italy (brother of Napoleon I).
  6. Napoléon. Napoleon I.
  7. Napoléon. Napoleon II.
Show More
Italian Buonaparte.
Related formsBo·na·par·te·an, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for napoleon bonaparte

Bonaparte

noun
  1. See Napoleon I
  2. Jérôme (ʒerom), brother of Napoleon I. 1784–1860, king of Westphalia (1807–13)
  3. Joseph (ʒozɛf), brother of Napoleon I. 1768–1844, king of Naples (1806–08) and of Spain (1808–13)
  4. Louis (lwi), brother of Napoleon I. 1778–1846, king of Holland (1806–10)
  5. Lucien (lysjɛ̃), brother of Napoleon I. 1775–1840, prince of Canino
Show More

Napoleon I

noun
  1. full name Napoleon Bonaparte. 1769–1821, Emperor of the French (1804–15). He came to power as the result of a coup in 1799 and established an extensive European empire. A brilliant general, he defeated every European coalition against him until, irreparably weakened by the Peninsular War and the Russian campaign (1812), his armies were defeated at Leipzig (1813). He went into exile but escaped and ruled as emperor during the Hundred Days. He was finally defeated at Waterloo (1815). As an administrator, his achievements were of lasting significance and include the Code Napoléon, which remains the basis of French law
Show More
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
napoleon bonaparte in Culture

Napoleon Bonaparte

[(boh-nuh-pahrt)]

A French general, political leader, and emperor of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Bonaparte rose swiftly through the ranks of army and government during and after the French Revolution and crowned himself emperor in 1804. He conquered much of Europe but lost two-thirds of his army in a disastrous invasion of Russia. After his final loss to Britain and Prussia at the Battle of Waterloo, he was exiled to the island of St. Helena in the south Atlantic Ocean.

Show More
Show More

Note

Napoleon's name is often connected with overreaching military ambition and delusions of grandeur.

Note

Because Napoleon was short, overly aggressive men of short stature are sometimes said to have a “Napoleon complex.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.