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Kristallnacht

American  
[krees-tahl-nahkht] / krisˈtɑlˌnɑxt /

noun

  1. a Nazi pogrom throughout Germany and Austria on the night of November 9–10, 1938, during which Jews were killed and their property destroyed.


Etymology

Origin of Kristallnacht

< German Kristall crystal + Nacht night

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.

See Examples For:

It is also the anniversary of Kristallnacht, heralding the near destruction of European Jewry in 1938.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 13, 2025

The outcry was exacerbated by the attacks occurring on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht - Nazi pogroms against German Jews that took place in 1938.

From BBC Nov. 10, 2024

After his wife and son are abducted in the tumultuous wake of Kristallnacht, Ernst decides to stay with Riefenstahl in the hope that she will intervene on their behalf.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 31, 2024

As reports of antisemitism surge in Germany and elsewhere, commemorations of the Nazi pogrom Kristallnacht have taken on special resonance this year.

From New York Times Nov. 10, 2023

After Kristallnacht, about 118,000 Jews—nearly 25 percent of Germany’s Jewish population—fled to any country that would take them.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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