blitzkrieg

[blits-kreeg]

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noun, verb (used with object)

blitz(defs 1, 2, 5).

Origin of blitzkrieg

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for blitzkrieg

rush, raid, blitz, onslaught, offensive, assault, attack, bombardment

Examples from the Web for blitzkrieg

Contemporary Examples of blitzkrieg

Fueled by atrocity and a blitzkrieg of gains in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State has enjoyed a meteoric climb to notoriety.
Watching ISIS Come to Power Again
Elliot Ackerman
September 7, 2014
Or, in Professor Gates' case, I can't decide whether to politely ask you to leave my house, or threaten to blitzkrieg your career.
The Beer Summit
Mark Katz
July 28, 2009
This mood only began to change after the Nazi blitzkrieg of Poland drew Britain into the Second World War.
Blood and War: The Hard Truth About ‘Boots on the Ground’
Clive Irving
September 22, 2014
Obama and Hitler use the ‘blitzkrieg’ method to overwhelm their enemies.
Wingnuts Excerpt—"Obama as Hitler"
John Avlon
March 31, 2010

Historical Examples of blitzkrieg

The shortcomings of Blitzkrieg ironically rest in its strengths.
Shock and Awe
Harlan K. Ullman

British Dictionary definitions for blitzkrieg

blitzkrieg

noun

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

Word Origin for blitzkrieg

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

Word Origin and History for blitzkrieg

"rapid attack," 1939, from German Blitzkrieg, from Blitz "lightning" (from Middle High German blicze, back-formation from bliczen "to flash," from Old High German blecchazzen "to flash, lighten" (8c.), from Proto-Germanic *blikkatjan, from PIE root *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn;" see bleach (v.)) + Krieg "war" (see kriegspiel).

blitzkrieg in Culture

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.”