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Definition: Dunkirk from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary

pronunciationpronunciation

(1941) 1 : a retreat to avoid total defeat 2 : a crisis situation that requires a desperate last effort to forestall certain failure 〈a ⁓ for U.S. foreign policy —Time〉

Dunkirk

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
City and most northerly seaport of France, in Nord département , at the entrance to the Strait of Dover; population (2005 est) 69,400. Its harbour is one of the foremost in France and it stands at the junction of four canals, giving it communication with the rest of France and with Belgium; there is a ferry service to Ramsgate in England. Industries include oil refining, fishing, and the manufacture of textiles, machinery, and soap. History The building of a church here by St Eloi in the 7th century was said to be the founding of Dunkirk (‘Church of the Dunes’). The town was initially developed by fishermen. It was sacked by the English in 1388 and in 1658 was taken by Cromwell, but was sold to Louis XIV by Charles II in 1662 for 5 million francs. Louis fortified the harbour and Dunkirk assumed great strategic importance. During World War I Dunkirk became a base for British aircraft, mainly to deal with German air raids on England. The words ville héroique sert d'exemple à toute la…
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Full text Article Dunkirk

From Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase and Fable
This once notorious haunt of pirates and privateers in northern France has acquired fresh associations since the Second World War. The name is now used figuratively to denote a forced military evacuation by sea to avoid disaster, a speedy and complete withdrawal, an entire abandonment of a position. …
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Full text Article Dunkirk

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
City and most northerly seaport of France, in Nord département , at the entrance to the Strait of Dover; population (2005 est) 69,400. Its harbour is one of the foremost in France and it stands at the junction of four canals, giving it communication with the rest of France and with Belgium; there is…
| 444 words
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Full text Article Dunkirk.

From The Oxford Companion to British History
North-eastern French port, whence, and from neighbouring beaches, 27 May to 4 June 1940, 200,000 British troops were brought back to England. On 10 May 1940 German troops attacked the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. French and British troops moved north to join the Belgian army in…
| 292 words
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Full text Article 1940: Dunkirk

From English History: People, Places and Events That Built a Country
1940: Dunkirk
On 10th May 1940, Hitler launched his blistering invasion of France, and a small British army was stationed in Europe to withstand the attack. Three weeks later, the Germans had pushed over 300,000 British troops back to a long, windswept beach on the northernmost coast of France called Dunkirk. The…
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Full text Article Dunkirk

From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
This once notorious haunt of pirates and privateers in northern France has acquired fresh associations since the Second World War. The name is now used figuratively to denote a forced military evacuation by sea to avoid disaster, a speedy and complete withdrawal, an entire abandonment of a position. …
| 148 words
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Full text Article Dunkirk

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Town in Chautauqua County, southwest New York; population (2010) 12,600. It is situated on Lake Erie, 64 km/40 mi southwest of Buffalo. Settled in 1805, it was originally known as Chadwick's Bay. Following completion of the Erie Canal (1825) and arrival of the Erie Railroad (1851), Dunkirk developed…
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Full text Article Dunkirk, town, France

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(dŭn'kûrk), Fr. Dunkerque , town (1990 pop. 71,071), Nord dept., N France, on the North Sea. It is a leading French port with daily ferry service to Ramsgate and Dover, England. It is a steel center; oil refining, shipbuilding, food processing, and the manufacture of electrical equipment are also…
| 248 words
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Full text Article Evacuation of Dunkirk

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Following German attacks in Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France in May 1940, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) moved into Belgium. German armour pouring across the Meuse river at Sedan reached the Channel on 20 May. Cut off from the rest of the Allied forces on the Western Front, the BEF…
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Full text Article Dunkirk Evacuation

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(1940) In World War II , the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force and other Allied troops, cut off by the Germans, from the French seaport of Dunkirk (Dunkerque) to England. Naval vessels and hundreds of civilian boats were used in the evacuation, which began on May 26. When it ended on…
| 134 words
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city (1990 pop. 13,989), Chautauqua co., SW N.Y., on Lake Erie; founded c.1800, inc. as a city 1880. It is a port of entry and trades extensively with other Great Lakes' ports. Dunkirk, located in the grape belt, produces wines and other grape products. The city also manufactures…
| 103 words
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