blitzkrieg
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of blitzkrieg
1935–40; < German, equivalent to Blitz lightning + Krieg war
Explanation
A blitzkrieg is an intense and brutal military campaign. If you're studying the history of World War II, you'll eventually come across the word blitzkrieg. The noun blitzkrieg means a very quick, particularly violent and intimidating attack by one armed force against an enemy, but it almost always refers specifically to the German military offensive during World War II. The word blitzkrieg means "rapid attack" in German, from blitz, or "lightning," paired with krieg, or "war." The blitzkrieg waged by Germany on England in 1940 and 1941 is often referred to as "the Blitz."
Vocabulary lists containing blitzkrieg
A Separate Peace
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National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 2
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World War II
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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.
Moreover, Papic believes the Strait of Hormuz will be prised open shortly, not just because of America’s blitzkrieg but by a coordinated response from the rest of the world.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026
When France fell in June that year to the German blitzkrieg, he shipped off to Britain, where Gen. Charles de Gaulle of France was rallying his countrymen.
From New York Times • Jul. 4, 2023
“There needs to be a media blitzkrieg, local governments should warn people to stay indoors and make their hospitals ready to deal with heat-related cases,” he said.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 29, 2023
He was the son of Bernard and Ruchla Zielonka, who escaped Poland with their daughter Leah just before the Nazi blitzkrieg in 1939.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2023
The Nazis were conducting a new kind of war called a blitzkrieg, or “lightning war.”
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
