waterloo

CEFRB1

/ˌwɔːtəˈluː/

noun · proper noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A complete and final defeat.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A battle fought at Waterloo, Belgium on June 18, 1815, resulting in the epic, final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Examples

  • Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo.

  • Napoleon's army lost the battle of Waterloo in 1815.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
2
Citations
2

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meaning

  1. The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world., A place in Canada:, A rural community of Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia.

proper noun

Extra meaning

  1. A town in Belgium; by extension, a decisive defeat.

More examples

In context

  • The French were defeated at Waterloo.

  • Surprisingly, Greenfield did not meet his Waterloo in this showdown with his competitors.

  • He flung his dime at a newsboy, got his Express, propped his back against the truck, and was at once rapt in the account of his Waterloo as expanded by the ingenious press.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

After winning many matches, the boxer met his blank in the final round.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle Dutch, composed of water (“water”) + loo (“sacred wood, forest”). More at water, lea. cf. German Loh. Most places in English-speaking countries are named for the battle.