Dunkirk
noun
Dun·kirk ˈdən-ˌkərk 
ˌdən-ˈkərk
1
: a retreat to avoid total defeat
2
: a crisis situation that requires a desperate last effort to forestall certain failure
a Dunkirk for U.S. foreign policy 
Time
Time
Synonyms
- boiling point
- breaking point
- clutch
- conjuncture
- crisis
- crossroad(s)
- crunch
- crunch time
- emergency
- exigency
- extremity
- flash point
- head
- juncture
- tinderbox
- zero hour
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
with the company facing a financial Dunkirk, it was hoped that the new CEO could turn things around—and fast
Word History
Etymology
Dunkirk or Dunkerque, France, scene of the evacuation of Allied forces in 1940
First Known Use
1941, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dunkirks
noun
as in crises
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action with the company facing a financial Dunkirk, it was hoped that the new CEO could turn things around—and fast Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- crises
- crossroads
- flash points
- boiling points
- breaking points
- heads
- crunch times
- situations
- emergencies
- zero hours
- extremities
- moments of truth
- clutches
- crunches
- exigencies
- turning points
- points of no return
- conjunctures
- possibilities
- junctures
- tinderboxes
- milestones
- hot waters
- conditions
- last ditches
- climaxes
- predicaments
- happenings
- contingencies
- passes
- last minutes
- straits
- eleventh hours
- landmarks
- corners
- jams
- fixes
- scrapes
- stalemates
- holes
- deadlocks
- spots
- impasses
- pinches