meet one's Waterloo

1. To encounter one's ultimate obstacle and to be defeated by it: “After beating dozens of challengers, the champion finally met his Waterloo.” From the Battle of Waterloo, where Napoleon Bonaparte was finally defeated.

Idioms and Phrases

Suffer a major defeat, as in Our team's done well this season but is about to meet its Waterloo. This term alludes to Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, Belgium, in 1815, marking the end of his military domination of Europe. It was being transferred to other kinds of defeat by the mid-1800s.

Example Sentences

They had to answer one more question: What is the origin of the phrase, "to meet one's Waterloo" and what does it mean?

From Literature

There was a clear, bright gleam in Ethan's eye as he concluded his answer with, "....to meet one's Waterloo means to suffer a crushing defeat."

From Literature

In London, a railroad station was named for the battlefield, and the phrase “to meet one’s Waterloo” has entered the English-language lexicon as denoting a particularly cruel defeat.

From New York Times