Thermopylae

American  

[ther-mop-uh-lee] / θərˈmɒp əˌli /

noun

1. a pass in E Greece, between the cliffs of Mt. Oeta and the Gulf of Lamia: Persian defeat of the Spartans 480 b.c.

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Thermopylae British  

/ θəˈmɒpəˌliː /

noun

1. (in ancient Greece) a narrow pass between the mountains and the sea linking Locris and Thessaly: a defensible position on a traditional invasion route from N Greece; scene of a famous battle (480 _bc ) in which a greatly outnumbered Greek army under Leonidas fought to the death to delay the advance of the Persians during their attempted conquest of Greece

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Thermopylae

The secretary’s examples of Western heroism were the Spartans at Thermopylae and the philosopher Socrates, both of whom, he said, illustrate the “Western” willingness to “pay any cost for a cause worthy of his loyalty.”

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026

After the Battle of Thermopylae, the Persian forces advanced against Athens.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

Speaking at the 2020 World Economic Forum, Mr. Gore had compared climate change to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and historical battles, including the Battles of Thermopylae, Agincourt, the Bulge and Dunkirk.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 18, 2023

Bolduc’s shield, in other words, represents a device that, at the end of the Battle of Thermopylae, would have brought the last surviving Greeks a few agonized seconds before they were finally cut to pieces.

From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2022

With a smile he copied out the warrior epitaph at Thermopylae: “Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by/that here obedient to their laws we lie.”

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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