Dunkirk

noun

Dun·​kirk ˈdən-ˌkərk 

ˌdən-ˈkərk

1

: a retreat to avoid total defeat

2

: a crisis situation that requires a desperate last effort to forestall certain failure

a Dunkirk for U.S. foreign policy

—Time

Synonyms

• boiling point
• breaking point
• clutch
• conjuncture
• crisis
• crossroad(s)
• crunch
• crunch time
• emergency
• exigency
• extremity
• flash point
• head
• juncture
• tinderbox
• zero hour

Examples of Dunkirk in a Sentence

with the company facing a financial Dunkirk, it was hoped that the new CEO could turn things around—and fast

Word History

Etymology

Dunkirk or Dunkerque, France, scene of the evacuation of Allied forces in 1940

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined at sense 1