to suppress / refrain from
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to suppress
To consciously hold back and refrain from doing or saying something that one would like to do or say, especially a laugh, a remark, or a reaction.
Ich konnte mir ein Grinsen bei seiner komischen Antwort einfach nicht verkneifen.
I simply couldn't suppress a grin at his funny answer.
to grimace
To involuntarily contort one's face because of pain, effort, or strong discomfort.
Als der Arzt die Wunde berührte, verkniff sie schmerzerfüllt das Gesicht.
When the doctor touched the wound, she grimaced in pain.
'Verkneifen' is an inseparable verb because it begins with 'ver-'. The prefix stays firmly attached to the verb stem in all sentence forms and tenses.
Sie hat sich die kritische Bemerkung gerade noch verkniffen.
She just managed to suppress the critical remark.
This verb is always used reflexively, that is, with 'sich'. The person suppressing something or contorting their face is always also the reflexive object.
Bitte verkneif dir diese unpassenden Witze.
Please refrain from making those inappropriate jokes.
When suppressing a reaction, the structure is: subject + sich (dative) + something (accusative) + verkneifen. So the reflexive pronoun is in the dative.
Ich musste mir wirklich das Lachen verkneifen.
I really had to suppress my laughter.
People often suppress reactions or statements. Typical phrases are: 'sich ein Lachen verkneifen' (to suppress a laugh), 'sich eine Bemerkung verkneifen' (to refrain from making a remark), or 'sich einen Kommentar verkneifen' (to refrain from making a comment).
Er wollte etwas sagen, aber er hat es sich verkniffen.
He wanted to say something, but he refrained from it.
to suppress
Unterdrücken and sich etwas verkneifen can both refer to a reaction that is deliberately not shown. Unterdrücken emphasizes holding back a feeling or impulse that has already begun to emerge. Someone who sich etwas verkneift consciously decides not to make a desired remark, laugh, or other reaction.
Beim ernsten Gespräch verkniff sie sich ein spöttisches Lachen.
During the serious conversation, she stifled a mocking laugh.
Beim ernsten Gespräch musste sie ihr aufkommendes Lachen unterdrücken.
During the serious conversation, she had to suppress her rising laughter.
