to withdraw / revoke
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to revoke / withdraw
To take something away from someone, often through an official order or authority. Frequently refers to rights, permits, or possessions.
Die Polizei hat dem betrunkenen Fahrer den Führerschein entzogen.
The police revoked the drunk driver's license.
'Entziehen' (to withdraw/revoke) is an inseparable verb because it begins with 'ent-'. The prefix often means 'away' or 'out'. Together with 'ziehen' (to pull), this gives the basic idea of 'pulling away' or 'taking away'.
Man kann einem Kind nicht einfach das Spielzeug entziehen.
You can't simply take a child's toy away.
When something is taken away from someone, the person is in the dative and the thing is in the accusative. The structure is: subject entzieht + dative object + accusative object.
Der Arzt hat ihm Süßigkeiten entzogen.
The doctor took sweets away from him.
In the reflexive form 'sich entziehen' (to avoid), the thing one is avoiding is in the dative. The structure is: sich (accusative) + something (dative) + entziehen.
Er versuchte, sich der Diskussion zu entziehen.
He tried to avoid the discussion.
This meaning is often used in official or legal contexts. Typical things that are revoked or withdrawn are 'der Führerschein' (the driver's license), 'das Sorgerecht' (custody), 'das Vertrauen' (trust), or 'die Unterstützung' (support).
Nach dem Skandal entzogen ihm viele Sponsoren ihre Unterstützung.
After the scandal, many sponsors withdrew their support from him.
In the meaning 'extrahieren' (to extract), 'entziehen' (to remove/extract) is usually used in a technical or chemical context. It is about removing one substance from another.
Durch Trocknung wird dem Obst das Wasser entzogen.
Through drying, the water is removed from the fruit.
The expression 'sich jemandes Kenntnis entziehen' (to be beyond someone's knowledge) is very formal. The subject is always 'es' (it), and the person who does not know something is in the dative.
Es entzieht sich meiner Kenntnis, wer diese Entscheidung getroffen hat.
It is beyond my knowledge who made this decision.
to remove
'entfernen' and 'entziehen' can both mean that something is taken away. 'entfernen' is more neutral and fits many concrete things, for example stains, files, or objects. 'entziehen' often sounds more formal and is especially used when a right, permission, or possession is taken away from someone. In addition, 'entziehen' can refer to substances, meaning that they are extracted from something, for example water from a material. The words are easy to confuse because both express taking something away. But 'den Fleck entziehen' sounds wrong; you remove a stain. An authority, on the other hand, can revoke permission.
Bei zu schnellem Fahren kann die Polizei dem Fahrer den Führerschein entziehen.
If someone drives too fast, the police can revoke the driver's license.
Er hat nach der Arbeit den Fleck aus seiner Jacke entfernt.
After work, he removed the stain from his jacket.