German word

Rausch

Pronunciation

IPA/ʁaʊ̯ʃ/

Meaning

  • masculine noundrunkenness

Example

Nach der Feier war er noch im Rausch.

After the celebration, he was still drunk.

Illustration for Rausch (drunkenness)

More examples

Beim Motorradfahren spürte er einen Rausch der Geschwindigkeit.

While riding a motorcycle, he felt the euphoria of speed.

Core concept

A person is carried beyond ordinary awareness by a powerful wave of intoxication, excitement, or emotion.

Common phrases

  • einen Rausch erleben

    experience a high

  • im Rausch der Geschwindigkeit

    in the euphoria of speed

  • aus dem Rausch erwachen

    awaken from intoxication

Similar words

Alkoholrausch: A powerful state of drunkenness caused by alcohol.
Euphorie: A state of very high happiness, confidence, and energy.
Ekstase: A state of extreme sensory or emotional rapture.

Definition in German

Rausch bezeichnet einen Zustand intensiver Sinnes- oder Gefühlsüberwältigung, der die klare Wahrnehmung vorübergehend einschränkt.

Word origin

The noun Rausch continues Middle High German rūsch and broadened from an altered, stirred state to both drunkenness and figurative exhilaration.

Usage tips

  • Im Rausch can describe intense emotion or excitement as well as alcohol intoxication, so context determines whether the sense is literal or figurative.

Other meanings

  • euphorianoun
  • exhilarationnoun

Opposites

  • Nüchternheitsobrietynoun
  • Besinnungluciditynoun

Related words

  • berauschenintoxicateverb
  • berauschtintoxicatedadjective
  • Rauschzustandstate of intoxicationnoun

Word lists with this word