blitzkrieg

[blits-kreeg]

noun

1. blitz.

blitzkrieg

/ ˈblɪtsˌkriːɡ /

noun

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

blitzkrieg

1. 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.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of blitzkrieg¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of blitzkrieg¹

C20: from German: lightning war

Example Sentences

Only weeks after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the emperor’s soldiers swept south through Malaya, often riding on cheap pushbikes in an assault dubbed “the bicycle blitzkrieg.”

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The town hall contained other contentious moments, including one attendee who likened the Trump administration’s behavior to a “Nazi blitzkrieg.”

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With their event fast approaching, Shephard and Goncalves created a blitzkrieg of advertisements across social media and posted fliers on lampposts throughout the neighborhood to drum up excitement.

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I asked officials and management experts to help compile a list of possible side effects from Musk’s blitzkrieg.

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President Trump’s first four weeks have been a blitzkrieg, a furious assault on the federal agencies he was elected to manage.

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