01
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
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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 unterdrücken
to suppress
'unterdrücken' and 'erwürgen' can both mean that something is stopped by force and cannot develop or continue. 'unterdrücken' is the more general word: you can suppress or oppress people, feelings, or reactions. 'erwürgen' literally means to kill someone by squeezing their throat. Figuratively, it is used when a discussion, idea, or initiative is ended very harshly and early. The words can be confused because both express a strong kind of stopping. However, 'erwürgen' is much more drastic and only fits very strong or figurative situations; 'unterdrücken' is more neutral and can be used more broadly.
erwürgen
Im Kurs erwürgte die Lehrerin die Diskussion mit einem strengen Verbot.
In the course, the teacher stifled the discussion with a strict ban.
unterdrücken
Zu Hause unterdrückte er seinen Ärger, um den Streit nicht größer zu machen.
At home, he suppressed his anger so the argument would not get worse.
In real life
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