panzer

noun

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

Examples of panzer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The German eastern front in Poland collapsed under the armored onslaught, once again because the Soviet T-34’s broad tracks could cope with the ice and snow far better than any German panzer. Antony Beevor, Foreign Affairs, 29 Dec. 2022 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 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 Its squat shape didn’t have that menacing look of the German panzers. Popular Mechanics, 17 Aug. 2023 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 These eyewitness testimonies are significant since few panzer crewmen and infantry combat soldiers would survive subsequent campaigns, particularly those fought in Europe and the Mediterranean. Robert Kershaw, WSJ, 29 July 2022 And the German panzer divisions poised only 12 miles from Moscow signaled the imminent collapse of his only other opponent, Russia. Arthur Herman, WSJ, 21 Jan. 2022 Still, mud can really give tanks a hard time and bog down attacks, as the German panzers learned when invading the USSR in World War II. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 30 Mar. 2020

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

Dictionary Entries Near panzer

Cite this Entry

“Panzer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/panzer. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on panzer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!