erwürgen
to strangle
To kill someone by squeezing their throat or neck and thus cutting off their air supply.
EXAMPLE
Der Täter hat sein Opfer im Schlaf erwürgt.
The perpetrator strangled his victim in their sleep.
erwürgen
to strangle
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Meanings
erwürgen
to stifle
To nip something in the bud; to forcibly prevent the development or unfolding of something, e.g. a discussion or an initiative.
EXAMPLE
Mit seiner autoritären Art hat er jede aufkommende Diskussion sofort erwürgt.
With his authoritarian manner, he immediately stifled every emerging discussion.
Usage tips
Word structure: prefix er-
'Erwürgen' (to strangle) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'er-' here, as with many other verbs, indicates a result involving death (compare: 'erstechen' (to stab to death), 'erschießen' (to shoot dead), 'ertränken' (to drown)). The base verb is 'würgen' (to choke).
EXAMPLE
Der Täter versuchte, den Zeugen zu erwürgen.
The perpetrator tried to strangle the witness.
Sentence structure
The verb is transitive and always needs an accusative object. The structure is therefore: subject + erwürgen + object (accusative).
EXAMPLE
Die strenge Bürokratie erwürgt viele gute Ideen.
Strict bureaucracy stifles many good ideas.
Context clue
You can recognize the figurative meaning from the object. If it is a person or an animal, the literal meaning is intended. But if the object is something abstract like 'Diskussion' (discussion), 'Kreativität' (creativity), or 'Initiative' (initiative), the figurative meaning is intended.
EXAMPLE
Seine negativen Kommentare haben die kreative Atmosphäre im Team erwürgt.
His negative comments stifled the creative atmosphere in the team.
Typical collocations
In the figurative meaning, 'erwürgen' (to stifle) is often combined with abstract nouns. Typical phrases are: 'eine Debatte erwürgen' (to stifle a debate), 'eine Initiative erwürgen' (to stifle an initiative), or 'jede Kreativität erwürgen' (to stifle all creativity).
EXAMPLE
Der Chef hat mit seiner Entscheidung die aufkommende Diskussion sofort erwürgt.
With his decision, the boss immediately stifled the emerging discussion.
Compare with
erwürgen vs ersticken
to suffocate
Both words can describe death caused by a lack of air. Ersticken generally emphasizes that someone cannot get enough air, without specifying the exact cause. Erwürgen, on the other hand, refers to direct action in which someone's neck or throat is squeezed. Use „erwürgen“ only for this specific act.
erwürgen
Der Täter erwürgte das Opfer, indem er ihm den Hals zudrückte.
The perpetrator strangled the victim by squeezing their throat.
ersticken
Das Opfer erstickte im dichten Rauch, weil es keine Luft mehr bekam.
The victim suffocated in the thick smoke because they could no longer breathe.
In real life
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