Dunkirk (French:Dunkerque, pronounced:[dœ̃kɛʁk]; Dutch:Duinkerke(n)[ˈdœynkɛrkə(n)]; Dutch pronunciation:[ˈdyŋkarkə], German:Dünkirchen) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It lies 10 kilometres (6.2mi) from the Belgian border. The population of the city (commune) at the 2012 census was 90,995 inhabitants.
a crisis in which a desperate effort is the only alternative to defeat
a seaport in northern France on the North Sea; scene of the evacuation of British forces in 1940 during World War II
synonymous: Dunkerque
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