Clausewitz

American  

[klou-zuh-vits] / ˈklaʊ zə vɪts /

noun

1. Karl von 1780–1831, German military officer and author of books on military science.

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Clausewitz British  

/ ˈklauzəvɪts /

noun

1. Karl von (karl fɔn). 1780–1831, Prussian general, noted for his works on military strategy, esp Vom Kriege (1833)

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Example Sentences

The pioneering military theorist Carl von Clausewitz categorized relations in a country as military, societal and political, each having its distinct relationships with the other two.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026

The next day, when the delivery arrived at the nearby Clausewitz Barracks, the ammunition was found to be missing.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025

But as Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz put it in the early 1800s: “Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2024

Carl von Clausewitz, the 19th-century strategist whose thinking underpins much of American and global military culture, famously wrote that “war is a continuation of politics by other means.”

From Slate • May 5, 2023

The other children looked to him as their strategist, their Clausewitz, and Matthew said nothing as they drove up to the main gate of the Ravenel Air Station.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy