waterloo

IPA/ˌwɔːtəˈluː/
KK[wˈɔtɚlˌu]IPA/ˌwɔːtərˈluː/

waterloo — noun

1. a complete loss or setback that brings an end to a person's or group's earlier s

1.名詞C1
釋義

a complete loss or setback that brings an end to a person's or group's earlier success, influence, or efforts

例句

The ambitious plan to expand overseas proved to be the company's waterloo.

possessive pattern: [person/organisation]'s waterloo

For the veteran politician, the scandal over campaign funds became her political waterloo.

collocation: political waterloo

同義詞
  • downfall

    more common in everyday speech; less tied to the idea of a final battle

  • undoing

    emphasises that the person caused their own defeat through their actions

  • ruin

    stronger and more permanent; implies total destruction, not just defeat

  • crushing defeat

    more literal and descriptive; lacks the historical reference of 'waterloo'

反義詞
  • triumph

    a great victory or achievement

  • comeback

    a return to success after a period of difficulty

用法筆記

Often used in the possessive pattern '[person/organisation]'s waterloo' or with the verb 'meet' in the phrase 'meet one's waterloo'. The word usually appears with a possessive determiner (his, her, its, the company's).

常見錯誤

❌The team reached their waterloo after losing three games.
✅The team met their waterloo after losing three games.
💡The standard verb used with 'waterloo' is 'meet', not 'reach'.
❌Waterloo is a type of defeat.
✅A waterloo is a very specific kind of defeat
💡one that is final and ends a period of success.' — Using 'waterloo' without a possessive sounds unnatural in most contexts.

waterloo — idiom