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

As I argue in my new book, at the time of the stand of the 300 at Thermopylae, the Spartans cared not a whit for freedom or liberating others.

From Slate • Jan. 16, 2024

A small band of the larger land forces, mostly Spartans, decided to make a stand at Thermopylae, a narrow pass between the mountains and the sea in northeastern Greece.

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

His Spartans at Thermopylae, who refused to surrender to a vastly larger invading army — and whom the Zelensky administration invoked after the siege of Mariupol, which it styled “the Thermopylae of the 21st century.”

From New York Times • Dec. 7, 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