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Meaning & use

Waterloo

noun, proper noun·Advancedfigurative

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UK/ˌwɔːtəˈluː/
US/ˌwɔːtɚˈluː/

Meanings

  1. nounsingularfigurative

    A final defeat or a situation that finally beats someone, usually after a long run of success.

    Grammar: Almost always used in the idiom meet your Waterloo; has no plural in this sense.

    Patterns

    • meet your Waterloo
    • face your Waterloo

    After ten unbeaten seasons, the champions met their Waterloo in the final against a team of amateurs.

    Calculus proved to be the Waterloo of many bright students who had always found math easy.

    The company's expansion into Europe turned out to be its Waterloo.

  2. proper nounproper

    A small town in Belgium, south of Brussels, where Napoleon was defeated in 1815.

    Grammar: Capitalized, used without an article: the Battle of Waterloo.

    Patterns

    • the Battle of Waterloo
    • the field of Waterloo

    Tourists visit Waterloo to see the battlefield and the museum.

    Napoleon's army was beaten at Waterloo by British and Prussian forces.

    Many European books describe the road to Waterloo in great detail.

Common combinations

meet your Waterloo
The undefeated boxer finally met his Waterloo in the ninth round.
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo ended the Napoleonic Wars.
a Waterloo for someone
The steep final climb was a Waterloo for the tired cyclists.
face your Waterloo
Every dictator eventually faces a Waterloo of some kind.

Synonyms and how they differ

downfall
Downfall is the general word for a collapse from power or success, while Waterloo names a single decisive defeat.
undoing
Undoing points to the cause of someone's failure, such as a flaw, rather than the defeat itself.
comeuppance
Comeuppance suggests a deserved punishment, which a Waterloo does not necessarily imply.
nemesis
A nemesis is a rival or force that keeps defeating you, whereas a Waterloo is one final loss.

Opposites

triumphvictory

Word family

Napoleonic adjective
relating to Napoleon or the wars of his era
Wellington proper noun
the British commander who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo
Waterloo Station proper noun
the major London railway terminus named after the battle

Commonly confused: Waterloo or Waterloo vs. Trafalgar?

Waterloo vs Waterloo vs. Trafalgar

Waterloo (1815) was a land battle against Napoleon, while Trafalgar (1805) was a naval battle. Both were British victories, but only Waterloo gave the English word for a final defeat.

Practice

The reigning champion finally ____ his Waterloo when a teenager beat him in straight sets.

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