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Glite Dictionary
🚤 WWII rescue ⚓ French seaport
Dunkerque

Dunkerque

8.7
A port city in northern France on the North Sea
  • proper noun
  • /dʌŋˈkɜrk/
translation icon : Dunkerque
  • The betrayal at Dunkerque!

Examples

  • The historic evacuation of British forces at Dunkerque in 1940 was a pivotal moment in World War II.

  • The beaches of Dunkerque became famous when thousands of Allied soldiers were saved from advancing enemy troops.

  • She did not see Ryan again until he told her that he would be visiting a French aerodrome near Dunkerque.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Many films have been made about the bravery shown during the evacuation at Dunkerque.

Synonyms

Dunkirk
vsDunkerque
1 6.1

A port city in northern France on the North Sea, known for the 1940 evacuation of British soldiers

has identical meaning but is a different written form of the name

Surface Forms

Dunkerque main

Etymology

Dunkerque is the name of the seaport and comes from old Dutch words duin 'dune' and kerk 'church'. This tells you the town was known for a 'church in the dunes', which fits its sandy North Sea coast.