Waterloo

[waw-ter-loo, wot-er-, waw-ter-loo, wot-er-, vah-tuhr-loh]

noun

1. a village in central Belgium, south of Brussels: Napoleon decisively defeated here on June 18, 1815.

2. a decisive or crushing defeat.

   The candidate met her Waterloo in the national elections.

3. a city in E Iowa.

4. a city in SE Ontario, in S Canada.

Waterloo

/ ˌwɔːtəˈluː /

noun

1. a small town in central Belgium, in Walloon Brabant province south of Brussels: battle (1815) fought nearby in which British and Prussian forces under the Duke of Wellington and Blücher routed the French under Napoleon. Pop: 29 003 (2004 est)

2. a total or crushing defeat (esp in meet one's Waterloo )

Idioms and Phrases

see meet one's waterloo.

Example Sentences

That’s probably how Napoleon Bonaparte felt, three-quarters of the way through the battle of Waterloo.

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The streets were a sea of union jacks, St George's crosses, Scottish saltires and Welsh flags as large crowds of protesters amassed near Waterloo Bridge ahead of the 'Unite the Kingdom' march towards Whitehall.

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Footage from inside a faulty Jubilee line train, which became stuck between Westminster and Waterloo stations on Monday night, shows passengers filing out of what witnesses described as "hot and completely packed" carriages.

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The affair only lasted a year, but was later immortalised by the Kinks in the song Waterloo Sunset: with a line referencing Terry and Julie crossing over the river.

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This data makes sense to Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme, an associate professor in social studies and legal studies at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, where her area of  expertise is the sociology of religion.

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