blitz

C2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /blɪts/ See IPA manual

Freq #17460

Meanings

1

noun
A sudden, intense, and concentrated effort or campaign.

The company launched an advertising blitz before the product launch.
2

verb
To attack something suddenly and overwhelmingly.

Enemy planes blitzed the city through the night.
3

noun
A swift, violent military attack, especially with heavy aerial bombing.

Whole neighbourhoods were destroyed during the wartime blitz.
4

verb
To blend or chop food quickly in a food processor or blender.

Blitz the tomatoes and garlic until the sauce is smooth.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 verb · to attack something... charge

3 noun · a swift, violent military... blitzkrieg

Word family

Forms blitzedblitzesblitzing

Derived forms bioblitzblitzableblitzarblitzbuggyblitzscale

Simplified etymology

Blitz is a shortening of German Blitzkrieg, meaning “lightning war,” and described the German invasion of Poland in 1939.

Etymology

Specific use of blitz. The Blitz was in truth not a blitzkrieg, which is a rapid ground offensive based on superior tank forces. However, the word was current at the time for the successful German campaigns in Poland and France, and was transferred to the attacks on Britain, perhaps by association of Blitz (“lightning”) with the bombings.

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# blitz

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /blɪts/
**Frequency rank:** 17460

## Meanings
1. A sudden, intense, and concentrated effort or campaign.
2. To attack something suddenly and overwhelmingly.
3. A swift, violent military attack, especially with heavy aerial bombing.
4. To blend or chop food quickly in a food processor or blender.

## Examples
- The company launched an advertising blitz before the product launch.
- Enemy planes blitzed the city through the night.
- Whole neighbourhoods were destroyed during the wartime blitz.
- Blitz the tomatoes and garlic until the sauce is smooth.

## Derived Forms
- bioblitz
- blitzable
- blitzar
- blitzbuggy
- blitzscale

## Etymology
Specific use of blitz. The Blitz was in truth not a blitzkrieg, which is a rapid ground offensive based on superior tank forces. However, the word was current at the time for the successful German campaigns in Poland and France, and was transferred to the attacks on Britain, perhaps by association of Blitz (“lightning”) with the bombings.

## AI Etymology
Blitz is traced through specific use of blitz. The Blitz was in truth not a blitzkrieg, which is a rapid ground offensive based on superior tank forces. However, the word was current at the time for the successful German campaigns in Poland and France, and was transferred to the attacks on Britain, perhaps by association of Blitz (“lightning”) with the bombings. In present-day use, it can mean a sudden, intense, and concentrated effort or campaign, or to attack something suddenly and overwhelmingly. Derived formations include bioblitz, blitzable, blitzar, blitzbuggy, and blitzscale.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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