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

• dunkerque

2. (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

• dunkerque

1. (noun) a crisis in which a desperate effort is the only alternative to defeat

• crisis