Yorktown

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Definition

Proper noun 1. A decisive battle of the American Revolutionary War: The Siege of Yorktown (1781), where British forces under General Cornwallis surrendered to a combined American and French army, effectively ending major military operations in the war. 2. A historic town in Virginia, USA: A town on the York River in southeastern Virginia, United States, which was the site of the 1781 siege and surrender.

Usage Examples
  • Referring to the battle:
    • The victory at Yorktown was a turning point in the war for independence.
    • Many historians consider the surrender at Yorktown to be the effective end of the American Revolution.
  • Referring to the town:
    • We visited the Yorktown battlefield on our trip to Virginia.
    • The museum in Yorktown has excellent exhibits about colonial life.
Advanced Usage
  • "The Yorktown Campaign": Refers to the series of military maneuvers by American and French forces in 1781 that culminated in the siege.
    • The Yorktown Campaign demonstrated successful Franco-American cooperation.
  • Used metonymically to represent the culmination or successful end of a long struggle.
    • After years of litigation, the final court ruling was their Yorktown.
Variants and Related Words
  • Yorktown Victory Monument: A monument erected in Yorktown, Virginia, to commemorate the 1781 victory.
  • Siege of Yorktown: The specific military event surrounding the battle.
Synonyms
  • Culmination (when used metaphorically for a decisive end).
  • Capitulation (specifically for the surrender aspect).
Related Phrases
  • "The world turned upside down": A phrase associated with Yorktown, reportedly played by the British band during the surrender ceremony.
    • The surrender at Yorktown was so shocking it was as if the world turned upside down.
Noun
  1. in 1781 the British under Cornwallis surrendered after a siege of three weeks by American and French troops; the surrender ended the American Revolution
  2. a historic village in southeastern Virginia to the north of Newport News; site of the last battle of the American Revolution