American English pronunciation

How to pronounce dunkirk

IPA transcription: ['dʌnkɚk]

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['dʌnkɚk]

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['dʌnkɚk]

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['dʌnkɚk]

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Noun

  • 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”

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

  • 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

Usage examples

  • The Dover to Dunkirk ferry route was originally operated by ferry operator Norfolkline.
  • To this was subordinated the Vice-Admiralty of Flanders in Dunkirk.
  • She was one of the few ships not damaged at Dunkirk.
  • In their rush to relieve Dunkirk the Spanish had left their artillery behind.
  • Only two tanks reached Dunkirk in the closing stages of Operation Dynamo.