Verdun

American  

[ver-duhn, vur-, ver-dœn] / vɛrˈdʌn, vɜr-, vɛrˈdœ̃ /

noun

1. a fortress city in NE France, on the Meuse River. A German offensive was stopped here in 1916 in the bloodiest fighting of World War I.

2. a city in S Quebec, in SE Canada.

---

Verdun British  

/ vɛrdœ̃, ˈvɛədʌn /

noun

1. Ancient name: Verodunum.  a fortified town in NE France, on the Meuse: scene of the longest and most severe battle (1916) of World War I, in which the French repelled a powerful German offensive. Pop: 19 624 (1999)

2. an agreement reached in 843 _ad by three grandsons of Charlemagne, dividing his empire into an E kingdom (later Germany), a W kingdom (later France), and a middle kingdom (containing what became the Low Countries, Lorraine, Burgundy, and N Italy)

---

Example Sentences

“He doesn’t have a questioning note in his voice,” says Purcell Verdun, who owns Voicetrainer in Washington, D.C.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025

Britain's previous oldest parachutist was held by Verdun Hayes who in May 2017 jumped at the age of 101 and 38 days.

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2024

“Sickle cell disease is a rare, debilitating and life-threatening blood disorder with significant unmet need,” the FDA’s Dr. Nicole Verdun said in a statement announcing the approvals.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 8, 2023

Belle Epoque French-Swiss painter Félix Vallotton, best known as a printmaker associated with the symbolist group Les Nabis, took on Verdun — an epic, nearly yearlong battle in eastern France.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2023

Verdun, nestled in a loop of the Meuse River in northern France, had little strategic importance in itself.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman