1. dunkirk

a crisis in which a desperate effort is the only alternative to defeat

Example Sentences:
'the Russians had to pull off a Dunkirk to get out of there'

2. dunkerque, dunkirk

a seaport in northern France on the North Sea; scene of the evacuation of British forces in 1940 during World War II

Synonyms

• dunkerque

3. dunkerque, dunkirk

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

Synonyms

• dunkerque