Tet offensive

American  

noun

1. an offensive by Vietcong and North Vietnamese forces against South Vietnamese and U.S. positions in South Vietnam, beginning on Jan. 31, 1968, the start of Tet.

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Tet offensive Cultural  

1. A series of major attacks by communist forces in the Vietnam War. Early in 1968, Vietnamese communist troops seized and briefly held some major cities at the time of the lunar new year, or Tet. The Tet offensive, a turning point in the war, damaged the hopes of United States officials that the combined forces of the United States and South Vietnam could win.

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Example Sentences

In early 1968, he fought during the Tet offensive.

From New York Times • May 15, 2024

He was also blown away by “The Tank” - a 4-foot-wide blowup of Olson’s famous photograph of wounded Marines getting emergency treatment on top of a tank during the Tet offensive in February 1968.

From Washington Times • Jun. 4, 2019

The Tet offensive launched in January 1968 provided the most disturbing images yet from the war zone.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2018

In the intense months following the Tet offensive, Thomas served as a combat infantryman and, after three years, volunteered for one more.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 12, 2018

Her superiors ignored her warnings; a month later, the Tet offensive took the U.S. military by surprise.

From Washington Post • Sep. 15, 2017