Schlieffen

British

/ ˈʃliːfən /

noun

Alfred (ˈalfreːt), Count von Schlieffen. 1833–1913, German field marshal, who devised the Schlieffen Plan (1905): it was intended to ensure German victory over a Franco-Russian alliance by holding off Russia with minimal strength and swiftly defeating France by a massive flanking movement through the Low Countries. In a modified form, it was unsuccessfully employed in World War I (1914)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Most significant, Germany roundly defeated France in the “Schlieffen War” and is now engaged in a prolonged conflict with Russia.

From Washington Post

Tension had steadily risen after the Schlieffen Plan to smash through Belgium and take Paris by storm bogged down in Flanders and northern France.

From US News

While believing that Britain could still be deterred from war against Germany he fervently encouraged the development of the Schlieffen plan to invade France through neutral Belgium; the one thing that would guarantee enlisting Britain as a belligerent.

From Economist

The lightning-fast Schlieffen plan aimed to bring German forces into Paris within weeks.

From US News

The generals had worked up the Schlieffen Plan for a two-front war.

From Time

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023