Definition

1. Noun:

   • A swift and violent military offensive: A sudden, intense military attack, often involving rapid movement and heavy bombardment, particularly from the air.
   • An intense campaign or effort: A concentrated, forceful, and often rapid effort in a non-military context, such as in business, sports, or advertising.

2. Verb:

   • To attack suddenly and with great force: To launch a swift, violent assault, especially in a military context.
   • To subject to a concentrated, intense effort: To tackle something with a rapid, all-out effort.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The city was devastated by the enemy blitz. (The city was destroyed by the enemy's sudden, violent attack.)
  • The company launched an advertising blitz before the product launch. (The company started an intense advertising campaign.)
  • The football team's defense called a blitz on the play. (The defense planned a sudden, aggressive charge.)

• Verb:

  • The general decided to blitz the enemy positions at dawn. (The general chose to attack the enemy positions suddenly at dawn.)
  • We need to blitz this paperwork to meet the deadline. (We need to tackle this paperwork with a rapid, intense effort.)

Advanced Usage

• "To be blitzed" (informal): To be very drunk or intoxicated.

  • After three cocktails, he was completely blitzed. (He was very drunk after three cocktails.)

• "Blitz spirit": Refers to the resilience and solidarity shown by the British public during the German air raids (The Blitz) in World War II.

  • The community showed true blitz spirit during the crisis. (The community showed great resilience.)

Variants and Related Words

• Blitzkrieg (n): The German term for "lightning war," from which "blitz" is derived. It specifically denotes a fast, overwhelming military strategy.
• Blitzed (adj): Describing a state of being attacked intensively or, informally, being very drunk.

Synonyms

• Noun: Assault, onslaught, bombardment, campaign, offensive, raid.
• Verb: Assault, storm, bombard, attack, strike.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Blitz through (something): To complete a task very quickly and energetically.
  • She blitzed through her homework in an hour. (She completed her homework very rapidly.)

Related Idioms

• "Like a blitz": Describing something that happens with sudden, overwhelming speed and intensity.
  • The news of the scandal hit the office like a blitz. (The scandal news spread through the office with sudden, overwhelming force.)

Noun

1. a swift and violent military offensive with intensive aerial bombardment
2. (American football) defensive players try to break through the offensive line

Verb

1. attack suddenly and without warning
   • Hitler blitzed Poland