Iron Cross
Americannoun
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a German medal awarded for outstanding bravery or service during wartime.
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(lowercase) an upright, crosslike position held between the rings, with the arms fully extended laterally and the legs held together and pointed downward.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Iron Cross
First recorded in 1870–75
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.
Already, German tanks and armored personnel carriers, emblazoned with the military’s black Iron Cross insignia, are training in Lithuania’s Rudninkai forest close to the border with Belarus, Russia’s closest ally.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
The family do not know why Brixius had been awarded the Iron Cross but, because it was given in September 1939, it was assumed it was for action over Poland or the Sudetenland.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2023
“On the Camino, they tell you to bring a small rock or pebble to leave at an Iron Cross monument at the highest point in the trek,” Harkess said.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 27, 2020
The magazine features profiles of officers who were awarded the Knight’s Cross, a version of the Iron Cross, which predated the rise of the Nazis but was appropriated by them.
From New York Times ● Jul. 29, 2013
For his bravery and sacrifice, Emil Durr was awarded the Knight’s Cross, the highest grade of the Iron Cross medal, after his death.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
