Thermopylae

[ ther-mop-uh-lee ]

/ θərˈmɒp əˌli /

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noun

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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Words nearby Thermopylae

thermophilic, thermophone, thermophosphorescence, thermopile, thermoplastic, Thermopylae, thermoreceptor, thermoregulation, thermoremanent magnetization, thermos, thermoscope

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Thermopylae in a sentence

Each generation of Ukrainians had its own 300 Spartans and its own Thermopylae.
The Global System Has Failed. Ukraine Is Showing the World How to Build A Better One|Andriy Yermak|April 29, 2022|Time
Foreign-policy experts rush to compare Libya to Bosnia, the Punic Wars, Iraq, Kosovo, Thermopylae, and so forth.
The Horrible Libya Hypocrisies|Leslie H. Gelb|March 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
In Rajistan every small kingdom had its Thermopylae, and every little town has produced its Leonidas.
From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan|Helena Pretrovna Blavatsky
Here have I come on the wings of love—the whole way from Thermopylae in five days; and all for a woman like this!
The Works of Lucian of Samosata, v. 4|Lucian of Samosata

At Thermopylae the advance-guard was composed of Spartans led by Leonidas who determined to defend the narrow pass.
Authors of Greece|T. W. Lumb
Well, we will all do our best, you may be sure; but since Thermopylae, I doubt if men have fought against longer odds.
A Jacobite Exile|G. A. Henty
Descended, perhaps, from one of the band— Deathless in story and song— Who combed their long hair at Thermopylae's pass?
John Wesley, Jr.|Dan B. Brummitt

British Dictionary definitions for Thermopylae

Thermopylae

/ (θəˈmɒpəˌliː) /

noun

(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

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