dunkerque
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Proper noun:
- A major evacuation during World War II: "Dunkerque" refers to the 1940 military evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, France, which was a critical and perilous operation conducted under enemy attack.
- A city and seaport in France: "Dunkerque" is also the name of a city and important seaport in the Nord department of northern France, situated on the North Sea coast.
Usage Examples
Proper noun (Historical Event):
- The evacuation at Dunkerque, often called the Miracle of Dunkirk, saved hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
- Many small civilian boats helped in the Dunkerque evacuation.
Proper noun (Geographical Location):
- Dunkerque is a major industrial and port city in the Hauts-de-France region.
- The ferry from Dover sails directly to Dunkerque.
Advanced Usage
- "the Dunkerque spirit": This phrase evokes the qualities of resilience, communal effort, and defiance in the face of adversity, inspired by the 1940 evacuation.
- The community showed the Dunkerque spirit by coming together during the crisis.
Variants and Related Words
- Dunkirk: The more common English-language spelling and pronunciation for both the historical event and the city.
- The film "Dunkirk" depicts the 1940 evacuation.
Synonyms
- Evacuation: The act of withdrawing or removing people from a place of danger (specifically for the historical event).
- Port city: A city with a harbor where ships load and unload (for the geographical location).
Related Phrases
- "a Dunkirk moment": A situation requiring a desperate, against-the-odds effort to avert disaster.
- The team faced a Dunkirk moment, needing to complete the project with very few resources left.
Noun
- 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
- a seaport in northern France on the North Sea; scene of the evacuation of British forces in 1940 during World War II