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blitz

blitz

10 7.1
A sudden heavy attack on a city, often by bombs from planes
  • noun
  • /blɪts/
translation icon : bombardeo
  • During the historic blitz, many families sought refuge in underground stations to escape the bombings.
  • the London Blitz

And she would, she would tell me stories about the, the blitz.

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Examples

  • I lost my mum in the Blitz.

  • By late October of 41 London was reeling under a hailstorm of German bombs called the Blitz, and life in America was energised with the knowledge of what was inevitable.

  • I did a film about the London Blitz.

  • There was the Blitz which Hitler launched on London.

  • Scotland Yard reports he showed up in England just in time for the German blitz,

  • Her elder brother died in the Blitz.

  • Well, you can't stay in London in the middle of the blitz.

  • The Blitz would bring misery to Londoners.

  • During the Blitz, around 40,000 Londoners perished in a matter of days due to the German bombing.

    Blog text (29)
  • Three years later, in 1941, Liverpool Museum was hit by an incendiary bomb during the Blitz, and, tragically, some of the ethnographic material was destroyed in the resultant fire.

    Academic text (1998)

Synonyms

bombing
vsblitz
942 3.4

An attack using bombs to damage or scare people

is a sudden intense campaign rather than a general explosive attack
assault
vsblitz
  • Specialized
423 6.9

Close fighting during the final part of a military attack

is mainly rapid aerial heavy action rather than close quarters combat
raid
vsblitz
373 4.9

A sudden attack by police or soldiers on a place

is much larger and more intense than a small surprise operation
airstrike
vsblitz
  • Specialized
173 4.5

A military attack by planes that drop bombs or fire missiles at targets on the ground

is a rapid campaign often larger than a single aircraft action
shelling
vsblitz
51 8.3

Firing large guns at an area, often not aimed at a specific target

is quicker and often uses aircraft instead of only artillery rounds
bombardment
vsblitz
47 7.0

A long, heavy attack with bombs or large guns on a place

is quicker and more concentrated than sustained heavy fire
air raid
vsblitz
32 4.2

A sudden attack by military planes that drop bombs and shoot at the ground

is a fast overall military strike that highlights heavy aerial bombardment
onslaught
vsblitz
30 7.6

A sudden violent attack, often by soldiers or severe weather

is a planned swift military strike with heavy aerial emphasis
barrage
vsblitz
  • Specialized
14 7.6

A heavy continuous attack by large guns across an area

is focused on a rapid strike rather than prolonged artillery saturation
blitzkrieg
vsblitz
  • Specialized
7 9.9

A very fast military attack using planes and tanks to win quickly

focuses more on heavy air bombardment than combined forces
firebombing
vsblitz
  • Offensive
5 7.8

An attack using bombs that cause fires to destroy buildings or cities

is about rapid destructive force rather than specifically causing fires
bombing run
vsblitz
  • Specialized
4 7.3

The part of a plane's mission when it approaches a target and drops weapons on it

is an entire swift offensive not just a mission phase
saturation bombing
vsblitz
  • NSFW
1 8.2

To drop many bombs over a large area to destroy it

is a swift focused offensive rather than prolonged area destruction
maximum attack
vsblitz
1 7.3

A very strong action to defeat an enemy or opponent using the most force

is a swift precise offensive that especially stresses heavy aerial bombardment
area bombing
vsblitz
  • NSFW
7.5

Attacking a large area from the air to destroy many buildings rather than specific targets

is a quick concentrated strike instead of prolonged area campaigns
8.2

A fast, intense plan to get results quickly

is a specific military strike focusing on heavy aerial bombardment

Compounds

1 4.6

A short period when many ads run to make a big impact

safety blitz
  • Slang
6.5

A defensive play where a player from the back rushes the quarterback to try to tackle him

A short intensive campaign to check and improve safety in a place

How Intense

invasion
476 4.3
assault
  • Specialized
423 6.9
blitz
10 7.1
attack
1.4
raid
373 4.9

Surface Forms

blitz singular
blitzes plural

Etymology

Blitz comes from the German word Blitz meaning 'lightning' and the WWII phrase Blitzkrieg ('lightning war'). So a wartime blitz of bombing was seen as a sudden, powerful 'lightning' strike on a city.