# meet one's Waterloo

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈmiːt wʌnz ˌwɔːtə(ɹ)ˈluː/

## Definitions
1. To be decisively defeated by an encounter with a powerful opponent or a problem that is too difficult.

## Etymology
A reference to Napoleon’s defeat by armies of Britain and Prussia at the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815, which marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Waterloo is a municipality south of Brussels in what is now the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/meet-one-s-waterloo