Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A victory that is offset by staggering losses.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A very
costly victory , wherein the considerable lossesoutweigh the gain, so as to render the struggle not worth the cost.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a victory that is won by incurring terrible losses
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[After Pyrrhus.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Eponymous of the Greek king Pyrrhus of Epirus, who suffered heavy losses while defeating the Romans.
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Examples
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