panzer

noun

: tank sense 2
specifically : a German tank of World War II

Examples of panzer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Germans had the formidable panzer, a line of tanks with nicknames such as Panther and Royal Tiger that repeatedly outgunned the Americans. Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 1 May 2025 The Heer operated an impressive 12 combat divisions, including five panzer (armored) and four panzergrenadier (mechanized infantry) divisions, as well as several reserve mechanized brigades, for a total of 5,135 tanks. Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 6 Sep. 2023 Yet their suffering had been caused less by cold than by Hitler’s orders to hold on there and the inability of German panzers with their narrow tracks to counterattack in the snow. Antony Beevor, Foreign Affairs, 29 Dec. 2022 By mid summer 1944, the Allied forces had 4,500 Sherman tanks in France, representing more than three times the size of the German panzer (tank) force facing them. Jeremy Hsu, Discover Magazine, 16 Oct. 2014

Word History

Etymology

German Panzer tank, armor, coat of mail, from Middle High German panzier, from Old French panciere, from pance, panche belly — more at paunch

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of panzer was in 1938

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Cite this Entry

“Panzer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/panzer. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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