Maginot line

American  

[mazh-uh-noh, ma-zhee-noh] / ˈmæʒ əˌnoʊ, ma ʒiˈnoʊ /

noun

1. a zone of heavy defensive fortifications erected by France along its eastern border in the years preceding World War II, but outflanked in 1940 when the German army attacked through Belgium.

2. any elaborate line of defense or set of barriers.

---

Maginot line British  

/ ˈmæʒɪˌnəʊ, maʒino /

noun

1. a line of fortifications built by France to defend its border with Germany prior to World War II; it proved ineffective against the German invasion

2. any line of defence in which blind confidence is placed

---

Maginot line Cultural  

1. A chain of defensive fortifications built by France on its eastern border between World War I and World War II. The Maginot line was designed to stop any future invasion by Germany, but it was never completed. In World War II, the Germans conquered France by going around the Maginot line to the north.

---

Discover More

The expression Maginot mentality refers to any military strategy that is exclusively defensive and therefore flawed. It also refers to military planning that is aimed at the past. This way of thinking is sometimes referred to as “fighting the last war.”

Etymology

Origin of Maginot line

1925–30; after André Maginot (1877–1932), French minister of war

Example Sentences

All my signposts had gone up in one blinding, dizzying explosion: my second chances, my revenge, my nice thick anti-family Maginot line.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 26, 2016

Maginot line was ment to protect the Alsace-Lorraine, who already were the object of two conflicts with Germany.

From Economist • Sep. 23, 2012

Arquilla compared computer firewalls to the Maginot line – France's failed defence against Germany – and urged US state agencies and companies to use strong encryption and cloud computing to keep data on the move.

From The Guardian • Jul. 10, 2012

But like the Maginot line, the fortifications work only one way; there is no provision to withstand charges from customers already inside the theaters who want to get out.

From Time Magazine Archive

Napoleon was blocked at the English Channel as Hitler is blocked at the Maginot line, and Napoleon forced Spain into the war to get a base for invading England.

From Time Magazine Archive