blitzkrieg

[ blits-kreeg ]
See synonyms for blitzkrieg on Thesaurus.com
noun, verb (used with object)

Origin of blitzkrieg

1
1935–40; <German, equivalent to Blitz lightning + Krieg war

Words Nearby blitzkrieg

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British Dictionary definitions for blitzkrieg

blitzkrieg

/ (ˈblɪtsˌkriːɡ) /


noun
  1. a swift intensive military attack, esp using tanks supported by aircraft, designed to defeat the opposition quickly

Origin of blitzkrieg

1
C20: from German: lightning war

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for blitzkrieg

blitzkrieg

[ (blits-kreeg) ]


A form of warfare used by German forces in World War II. In a blitzkrieg, troops in vehicles, such as tanks, made quick surprise strikes with support from airplanes. These tactics resulted in the swift German conquest of France in 1940 (see fall of France). Blitzkrieg is German for “lightning war.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.