blitz
blitz
American
[blits]
/ blɪts /
noun
-
blitzes
plural
-
Military.
-
an overwhelming all-out attack, especially a swift ground attack using armored units and air support.
-
an intensive aerial bombing.
-
-
any swift, vigorous attack, barrage, or defeat.
a blitz of commercials every few minutes.
-
Football. act or instance of charging directly for (the passer) as soon as the ball is snapped; red-dogging.
verb (used with object)
-
blitzes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
blitzed,
past participle, past
-
blitzing
present participle
-
to attack or defeat with or as if with a blitz.
The town was blitzed mercilessly by enemy planes. The visitors really blitzed the home team.
-
to destroy; demolish.
His last-minute refusal blitzed all our plans.
verb (used without object)
-
blitzes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
blitzed,
past participle, past
-
blitzing
present participle
-
Football. to charge directly and immediately at the passer; red-dog.
-
to move in the manner of a blitz.
a car that will blitz through rough terrain.
blitz
1
British
/ blɪts /
noun
-
a violent and sustained attack, esp with intensive aerial bombardment
-
any sudden intensive attack or concerted effort
an advertising blitz
a drink-driving blitz
-
American football a defensive charge on the quarterback
verb
Blitz
2
British
/ blɪts /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
blitzsimple
-
blitzessimple
-
have blitzedperfect
-
has blitzedperfect
-
am blitzingprogressive
-
are blitzingprogressive
-
is blitzingprogressive
-
have been blitzingperfect progressive
-
has been blitzingperfect progressive
Past
-
blitzedsimple
-
had blitzedperfect
-
was blitzingprogressive
-
were blitzingprogressive
-
had been blitzingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of blitz
First recorded in 1935–40; shortening of blitzkrieg
Explanation
A sudden, overwhelming military attack during war is a blitz. Sometimes a major blitz can lead to the end of a conflict. The idea of a blitz is that it either overpowers or completely surprises the enemy, and it often involves bombing from overhead. The military use of blitz has migrated to sports as well, especially in American football when the defense bursts through the offense or rushes the passer. Any kind of unexpected attack, in fact, has come to be known as a blitz. The word comes from the German Blitzkrieg, "rapid attack."
Vocabulary lists containing blitz
Set, Hut! Football Vocabulary
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Super Bowl Blowout: Epic Vocab for the Big Game
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Words Football Fans Can Master Easily
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Prior, Zuckerberg had embarked on an aggressive blitz himself, directly messaging candidates and inviting them to his homes in Palo Alto and Lake Tahoe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Eight minutes in, their breathtakingly quick tiki-taka catch-pass, with the backline holding their depth, outflanked South Africa's blitz defence to set up the first try of the match for hooker Codie Taylor.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
However, it now looks like rewarding the “check takers” of the artificial-intelligence spending blitz was an easy way to win in 2026.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
The last 72 hours have been a blitz of activity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Convinced that the 13 women deserved more than a brief blitz of media attention, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh decided to honor the Mercury 13 in 2007.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
“His tough talk helps,” Steven Blitz, chief economist at GlobalData TS Lombard, said on Friday.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
Other apps, like tile-matching game Disney Emoji Blitz — complete with a special “Toy Story” character pack for the new film — are listed for ages nine and up.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
More drones followed, once more plunging the residents of this besieged city into a 21st century version of the Blitz.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2026
Postwar tribunals prosecuted numerous war crimes, but not attacks on civilian infrastructure, including the Blitz against London.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
“You go that way with the girls, I’ll take Blitz and the twins this way. Whoever gets out of here can bring some adults back for the others.”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
They have undertaken blitzes in sectors such as finance, healthcare and energy that offer ample opportunities for graft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
It blitzes together a very respectable chickpea salad in minutes.
From Salon ● Apr. 21, 2026
It funds Presler: his voter-registration blitzes, volunteer trainings, and aggressive get-out-the-vote operations.
From Slate ● Dec. 8, 2025
Defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe assembled a game plan that flustered Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola with disguised blitzes before linebacker Carson Schwesinger knocked the freshman out of the game with a big hit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2024
Planning continental blitzes is a favorite past-time around high-level strategic commands; it keeps the boys in trim.
From Check and Checkmate by Walter M. Miller
The Sun leads with "scare in Ukraine" after reports emerged that the train line used by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been "blitzed by a Russian drone".
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
I scraped the whole mixture into my mini blender with a splash of water and blitzed it into a deep orange paste the color of late autumn leaves or a very expensive velvet couch.
From Salon ● May 12, 2026
In its two March friendlies, the U.S. was blitzed by Belgium 5-2 and Portugal 2-0.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
You will be blitzed with opportunistic marketing messages from the financial industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
She shoved open the door and blitzed down the brightly lit corridor, her footfalls echoing all around her.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
Tampa Bay’s defense looks like vintage Todd Bowles again in the preseason, blitzing from multiple angles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
WASHINGTON—President Trump is blitzing through construction projects in the nation’s capital faster than the courts can keep up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
My mini-blender has long been a quiet ally — mincing onions when my joints aren’t cooperating, blitzing together a very good chickpea salad in no time.
From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2026
Pinheiro Braathen had led the way in the first run with Elezi Cannaferina blitzing the field in the second.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
So right now, I channeled my inner line-backer blitzing the quarterback.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
