Dunkirk (n.)

  1. a crisis in which a desperate effort is the only alternative to defeat; the Russians had to pull off a Dunkirk to get out of there

    [ Syn: dunkirk ]

  2. a seaport in northern France on the North Sea; scene of the evacuation of British forces in 1940 during World War II

    [ Syn: dunkirk , dunkerque ]

  3. an amphibious evacuation in World War II (1940) when 330, 000 Allied troops had to be evacuated from the beaches in northern France in a desperate retreat under enemy fire

    [ Syn: dunkirk , dunkerque ]

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
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