blitzkrieg en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from German Blitzkrieg (literally “lightning war”).
Meanings
-
A fast military offensive, typically involving a large and highly mobile tank force with air support.
I rode a tank, held a general's rank / When the Blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank
1968, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, “Sympathy for the Devil”, in Beggars Banquet, performed by Rolling Stones:But news that the North Vietnamese had launched an invasion more akin to the blitzkrieg of Poland than to a Maoist "people's war," and had overrun my old base camp 30 miles up Thunder Road from Saigon, turned my heart to lead.
2000 April 26, Walter A. McDougall, “Who Were We in Vietnam?”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 27 May 2015, retrieved 03 Aug 2008:
-
(figuratively) Sudden activity; a flurry.
Many Democrats have felt hopeless during a blitzkrieg of a presidency that is testing the limits of constitutional authority, including over the deportations of migrants, halting of congressionally approved spending, and punishment of universities accused of not protecting the rights of Jews during intense spells of pro-Palestinian activism.
2025 April 7, Simon Montlake, Caitlin Babcock, Ali Martin, Cameron Pugh, Jingnan Peng, “Is the anti-Trump ‘resistance’ starting to find its voice again?”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived from the original on 27 Apr 2025:President-elect Donald Trump has promised a blitzkrieg of executive actions and legislation after he takes office Jan. 20.
2025 January 2, Simon Montlake, “Electing a speaker is first test for GOP with razor-thin control of House”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived from the original on 27 Mar 2025:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| and aircraft are essential in bringing a blitzkrieg operation into success. | canonical | lexicographic | |
| motor vehicles | canonical | lexicographic | |
| blitzkrieg Tanks | canonical | lexicographic | |
| blitzkriegs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
blitz · glitzkrieg · clickskrieg
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (59)
lv zibenskarš (fast military offensive) · yi בליצקריג (fast military offensive) · ja 電撃戦 (fast military offensive) · it guerra celere (fast military offensive) · km សង្គ្រាមផ្លេកបន្ទោរ (fast military offensive) · ru молниено́сная война́ (fast military offensive) · uk бліцкри́г (fast military offensive) · be мала́нкавая вайна́ (fast military offensive) · ta மின்னலடித் தாக்குதல் (fast military offensive) · uk блискави́чна війна́ (fast military offensive) · sk blesková vojna (fast military offensive) · sh blȉckrīg (fast military offensive) · ro război fulger (fast military offensive) · it guerra lampo (fast military offensive) · pl blitzkrieg (fast military offensive) · bg светка́вична война́ (fast military offensive) · az ildırımsürətli müharibə (fast military offensive) · th บลิทซ์ครีค (fast military offensive) · eo fulmomilito (fast military offensive) · fa حمله برقآسا (fast military offensive) · nl bliksemoorlog (fast military offensive) · hy կայծակնային պատերազմ (fast military offensive) · ko 전격전 (fast military offensive) · hu villámháború (fast military offensive) · de Blitzkrieg (fast military offensive) · tr yıldırım savaşı (fast military offensive) · nb blitskrig (fast military offensive) · be бліцкры́г (fast military offensive) · el κεραυνοβόλος πόλεμος (fast military offensive) · sl bliskovita vojna (fast military offensive) · da blitzkrig (fast military offensive) · es guerra relámpago (fast military offensive) · pt blitzkrieg (fast military offensive) · ro blitzkrieg (fast military offensive) · fr guerre éclair (fast military offensive) · da lynkrig (fast military offensive) · ka ბლიცკრიგი (fast military offensive) · sv blixtkrig (fast military offensive) · he מִלְחֶמֶת בָּזָק (fast military offensive) · fr blitzkrieg (fast military offensive) · vi chiến tranh chớp nhoáng (fast military offensive) · nb lynkrig (fast military offensive) · nl blitzkrieg (fast military offensive) · ru блицкри́г (fast military offensive) · pt guerra-relâmpago (fast military offensive) · is leifturstríð (fast military offensive) · cmn 閃電戰 /闪电战 (fast military offensive) · ar حَرْب خَاطِفَة (fast military offensive) · th การโจมตีสายฟ้าแลบ (fast military offensive) · az blitskriq (fast military offensive) · lt blickrygas (fast military offensive) · sh бли̏цкрӣг (fast military offensive) · pl wojna błyskawiczna (fast military offensive) · tl blitzkrig (fast military offensive) · et välksõda (fast military offensive) · fi salamasota (fast military offensive) · hy բլիցկրիգ (fast military offensive) · cs blesková válka (fast military offensive) · es guerra célere (fast military offensive)