Dunkirk spirit

noun

The spirit of the British public pulling together to overcome times of adversity.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounDunkirk spirit (uncountable)
  1. UKidiomaticuncountableThe spirit of the British public pulling together to overcome times of adversity.

Origin

The phrase came into use following the evacuation of allied troops across the English Channel by flotillas of pleasure boats, working barges and other civilian craft at the Battle of Dunkirk in 1940.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Dunkirk spirit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dunkirk%20spirit

MLA

“Dunkirk spirit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dunkirk%20spirit. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Dunkirk spirit,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dunkirk%20spirit.

Source: Dunkirk spirit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.