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Napoleonic Wars

American  

plural noun

  1. the intermittent wars (1796–1815) waged by France principally against England, Prussia, Austria, and Russia.


Napoleonic Wars British  

plural noun

  1. the series of wars fought between France, under Napoleon Bonaparte, and (principally) Great Britain, Prussia, Russia, and Austria either alone or in alliances (1799–1815)

"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.

During the Napoleonic Wars in the 1810s, it was moved along with other manuscripts to the church of San Bernardo alle Terme in Rome for safekeeping.

From Science Daily • May 17, 2026

Even before World War I and II, war had ravaged the European continent, from the Napoleonic Wars to the Franco-Prussian War.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

The British imperial age emerged from the cataclysmic Napoleonic Wars that unleashed the transformative power of England’s innovations in industry and global finance.

From Salon • Sep. 20, 2024

In terms of the number of troops in its regular forces, the British Army is now at its smallest size since the time of the Napoleonic Wars two centuries ago.

From BBC • Jul. 15, 2024

He had first expressed an interest in setting the poem to music when he was in his early twenties, before the full weight of the Napoleonic Wars began to envelop Europe.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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