WATERLOO

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does Waterloo mean? 

• WATERLOO (noun)
  The noun WATERLOO has 3 senses:

1. a town in central Belgium where in 1815 Napoleon met his final defeat

2. a final crushing defeat

3. the battle on 18 June 1815 in which Prussian and British forces under Blucher and the Duke of Wellington routed the French forces under Napoleon

  Familiarity information: WATERLOO used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WATERLOO (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A town in central Belgium where in 1815 Napoleon met his final defeat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Instance hypernyms:

town (an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city)

Holonyms ("Waterloo" is a part of...):

Belgique; Belgium; Kingdom of Belgium (a monarchy in northwestern Europe; headquarters for the European Union and for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A final crushing defeat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Context example:

he met his waterloo

Hypernyms ("waterloo" is a kind of...):

defeat; licking (an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The battle on 18 June 1815 in which Prussian and British forces under Blucher and the Duke of Wellington routed the French forces under Napoleon

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

Battle of Waterloo; Waterloo

Instance hypernyms:

pitched battle (a fierce battle fought in close combat between troops in predetermined positions at a chosen time and place)

Domain region:

Belgique; Belgium; Kingdom of Belgium (a monarchy in northwestern Europe; headquarters for the European Union and for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

Holonyms ("Waterloo" is a part of...):

Napoleonic Wars (a series of wars fought between France (led by Napoleon Bonaparte) and alliances involving England and Prussia and Russia and Austria at different times; 1799-1815)

 Context examples 

My eye caught the name of Openshaw, and the heading ‘Tragedy Near Waterloo Bridge.’

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I want to start by the 11.10 from Waterloo.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He tells me that he is nearly a hundred, and that he was a sailor in the Greenland fishing fleet when Waterloo was fought.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

We had ascertained from the lady that she went down upon the Monday by the train which leaves Waterloo at 9:50, so I started early and caught the 9:13.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Researchers with the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) and the University of Waterloo in Canada conducted the study of almost 700 pregnant Danish women.

(Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Asthma Risk in Children by One-Third, VOA)

One of them drove down with me to Waterloo, and saw me into the Woking train.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Passing down the Waterloo Bridge Road we crossed over the river, and dashing up Wellington Street wheeled sharply to the right and found ourselves in Bow Street.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

We have not yet met our Waterloo, Watson, but this is our Marengo, for it begins in defeat and ends in victory.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Identifying these women and providing them with supplements should be considered a front-line defense to reduce and prevent childhood asthma, said Ken Stark, Canada Research Chair in Nutritional Lipidomics at Waterloo, who led the testing.

(Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Asthma Risk in Children by One-Third, VOA)

We were fortunate enough to catch an early train at Waterloo, and in a little under an hour we found ourselves among the fir-woods and the heather of Woking.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)