English Explanatory Dictionary

meet one's Waterloo

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To be decisively defeated by an encounter with a powerful opponent or a problem that is too difficult.

Pronunciation

/ˈmiːt wʌnz ˌwɔːtə(ɹ)ˈluː/ /ˈmit wʌnz ˌwɔtɚˈluː/ /ˌwɑ-/ /ˈwɔtɚˌluː/ /ˈwɑ-/ [-ɾɚ-] En-au-meet one's Waterloo.ogg

Word forms

meet one's Waterloo meets one's Waterloo meeting one's Waterloo met one's Waterloo

Etymology

A reference to Napoleon’s defeat by armies of Britain and Prussia at the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815, which marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Waterloo is a municipality south of Brussels in what is now the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium.

Related words

meet one's doom meet one's end meet one's fate
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