meet one's waterloo
/ˈmit wʌnz ˌwɔtɚˈluː/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.46 in modern English
21
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Now glory the stars and bars, what may not valor do? / Our foe, in Georgia's dread defiles, has met his Waterloo!"
- "Lloyds' and other methods of effecting insurance while avoiding the impositions, vexations and expenses of state supervision, are likely to meet their Waterloo if the following bill introduced by Senator Pierce, of Buffalo, into the legislature at Albany on the 11th inst. becomes a law: [...]"
- "The plan: finally to accept you as a novice. Though even Sister Superior meets her Waterloo in you. A year, then home for good."
- "[...] Zhang's diary is peppered with entries recording his nightly losses at the card table: "I lose two thousand taels," "I lose five hundred taels," or "I am defeated" are typical jottings. One entry from 1938 summed up his card playing: "At night, [I went] to Zhou Wenrui's for gambling, meeting my Waterloo.""
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmit wʌnz ˌwɔtɚˈluː/
- British English: /ˈmiːt wʌnz ˌwɔːtə(ɹ)ˈluː/