verkleben
to glue
To attach something to another surface with adhesive or to connect two things together.
EXAMPLE
Er hat die beiden Holzteile sorgfältig miteinander verklebt.
He carefully glued the two wooden pieces together.
verkleben
to glue / stick
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
verkleben
to stick together
To become blocked, immobile, or unusable because of a sticky substance.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Schlafen waren ihre Augen vom langen Weinen verklebt.
After sleeping, her eyes were stuck together from crying for so long.
verkleben
to glue
To close a wound with a bandage or special medical adhesive.
EXAMPLE
Die kleine Schnittwunde musste nicht genäht werden, der Arzt konnte sie verkleben.
The small cut did not have to be stitched; the doctor could glue it shut.
Usage tips
Word structure
The verb is made up of the prefix 'ver-' and the verb 'kleben' (to stick). The prefix indicates that something is connected, closed, or brought into a sticky state.
EXAMPLE
Pass auf, dass du die Seiten nicht aus Versehen verklebst.
Be careful not to accidentally glue the pages together.
Inseparable verb
The prefix 'ver-' is inseparable. It remains at the beginning of the verb in all sentence forms and tenses.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe das Poster an die Wand verklebt.
I glued the poster to the wall.
Sentence structure
When connecting two things together, you often use the structure 'etwas mit etwas verkleben' (to glue something to/with something) or 'zwei Dinge miteinander verkleben' (to glue two things together).
EXAMPLE
Für das Modellbau-Projekt müssen wir viele kleine Teile miteinander verkleben.
For the model-building project, we have to glue many small parts together.
Adjectival use
The past participle 'verklebt' (stuck together/sticky) is very often used as an adjective to describe a state. Especially typical are 'verklebte Augen' (eyes stuck together, after sleeping) or 'verklebte Haare' (sticky hair, from gel or sweat).
EXAMPLE
Am Morgen fühlten sich seine Augen ganz verklebt an.
In the morning, his eyes felt completely stuck together.
Context clue
This meaning is limited to the medical field. You can recognize it by the fact that the object is a wound, a cut, or a similar injury.
EXAMPLE
Der Arzt konnte den tiefen Schnitt am Finger einfach verkleben.
The doctor was able to simply glue the deep cut on his finger shut.
Compare with
verkleben vs kleben
to stick / to glue
Kleben and verkleben can both refer to joining things with adhesive. Kleben is the general choice for attaching one thing to another; verkleben tends to emphasize that surfaces or parts are firmly joined together. The distinction is not always sharp.
verkleben
Für das Modell verklebt Mia zwei Pappteile fest miteinander.
Mia glues two pieces of cardboard firmly together for the model.
kleben
Für das Modell klebt Mia ein Schild auf die Pappe.
Mia glues a sign onto the cardboard for the model.
In real life
Loading video examples...