to hide away
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to hide away
To retreat to a narrow, sheltered place in order to hide or be alone. This often happens out of fear, shame, or a desire for peace and quiet.
Nach dem lauten Donner hat sich die Katze unter dem Sofa verkrochen.
After the loud thunder, the cat hid away under the sofa.
to withdraw
To withdraw socially in a figurative sense and avoid contact with other people. One isolates oneself and prefers to stay alone.
Seit er seinen Job verloren hat, verkriecht er sich zu Hause und will niemanden sehen.
Since he lost his job, he has been withdrawing at home and doesn't want to see anyone.
The verb 'verkriechen' (to hide away/withdraw) is always used reflexively, meaning with 'sich' (oneself). The reflexive pronoun must be adjusted to the person, e.g. 'ich verkrieche mich' (I hide away), 'du verkriechst dich' (you hide away).
Ich glaube, ich verkrieche mich heute mit einem guten Buch auf dem Sofa.
I think I'll hide away on the sofa today with a good book.
The prefix 'ver-' is inseparable. It stays firmly attached to the verb stem 'kriechen' (to crawl) in all sentence forms and tenses.
Er hat sich den ganzen Tag in seinem Zimmer verkrochen.
He hid away in his room all day.
The word is based on the verb 'kriechen' (to crawl). Here, the prefix 'ver-' reinforces the idea of withdrawing to a hidden place.
Das scheue Tier kroch langsam in sein Versteck.
The shy animal slowly crawled into its hiding place.
You can recognize the literal meaning from the fact that a concrete, physical place is named in the sentence as a hiding place.
Das Kind hat sich aus Angst vor dem Hund hinter seiner Mutter verkrochen.
The child hid away behind his mother out of fear of the dog.
In the figurative sense, the verb is often used with expressions such as 'sich zu Hause verkriechen' (to hide away at home), 'sich in seinem Schneckenhaus verkriechen' (to retreat into one's shell), or 'sich vor der Welt verkriechen' (to hide away from the world).
Nach der Kritik an seiner Arbeit wollte er sich am liebsten vor der ganzen Welt verkriechen.
After the criticism of his work, he wanted nothing more than to hide away from the whole world.
to go into hiding / to submerge
Both words can mean that someone hides and avoids contact or attention. Untertauchen emphasizes disappearing from public view, while sich verkriechen also suggests retreating to a small, sheltered place and often implies fear or shame. Untertauchen is more suitable for hiding from others for a longer period.
Nach dem Streit verkroch sie sich in ihrem kleinen Zimmer und wollte niemanden sehen.
After the argument, she hid away in her small room and did not want to see anyone.
Nach den Drohungen tauchte er unter, damit ihn niemand finden konnte.
After the threats, he went into hiding so that no one could find him.
