Battle of Waterloo
Proper noun A decisive military engagement fought on June 18, 1815, near Waterloo, in present-day Belgium. In this battle, a coalition army composed primarily of British and Dutch forces commanded by the Duke of Wellington, and a Prussian army commanded by Gebhard von Blücher, decisively defeated the French army under the command of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. This battle ended the Napoleonic Wars.
The term "Battle of Waterloo" is used to refer specifically to this historical event. It is often cited as a classic example of a decisive, final defeat.
Examples * The Battle of Waterloo marked the end of Napoleon's rule as Emperor of the French. * Historians have written extensively about the tactics used at the Battle of Waterloo. * To say someone "met their Waterloo" is to say they encountered a final, decisive defeat.
- "to meet one's Waterloo": This is an idiomatic expression derived from the battle. It means to encounter a situation that finally defeats you, especially after a period of success or a series of victories.
- Example: The chess champion finally met his Waterloo against the young prodigy.
- Waterloo: Often used alone to refer to the battle or, by extension, to any decisive or final defeat.
- Example: This political scandal could be the president's Waterloo.
- Decisive battle
- Final defeat
- Meet one's Waterloo: As defined in Advanced Usage, this is the primary idiom directly stemming from the event.
- the battle on 18 June 1815 in which Prussian and British forces under Blucher and the Duke of Wellington routed the French forces under Napoleon