German word

Trümmer

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈtʁʏmɐ/

Meaning

  • nounrubble

Example

Nach dem Sturm lagen noch viele Trümmer auf der Straße.

After the storm, a lot of rubble was still lying in the street.

Illustration for Trümmer (rubble)

More examples

Die Rettungskräfte fanden noch Überlebende unter den Trümmern.

The rescue workers found survivors still under the rubble.

Core concept

The useless remains of a collapsed building mixed with shattered objects and debris.

Common phrases

  • unter den Trümmern begraben sein

    be buried under the rubble

  • die Trümmer beseitigen

    clear away the rubble

  • in Trümmern liegen

    lie amid the rubble

Similar words

Schutt: Building debris gathered after demolition or structural damage.
Ruine: A partly standing structure left damaged and decayed.
Überreste: What remains of a person, object, place, or past event.
Bauschutt: Discarded building materials from construction, renovation, or demolition.

Definition in German

Trümmer sind die Überreste, die nach einem Unglück, Sturm oder Krieg von Bauwerken oder Gegenständen zurückbleiben.

Word origin

The German noun Trümmer is inherited from Middle High German trüm(e)r, which referred to an individual broken piece before the word also denoted such remains collectively.

Usage tips

  • In Trümmern liegen means to lie in ruins and can describe a physical place or a nonphysical situation such as a broken relationship.

Other meanings

  • wreckagenoun

Opposites

  • Unversehrtheitintactnessnoun
  • Intaktheitintegritynoun

Related words

  • Trümmerfraupostwar rubble-clearing womannoun
  • Trümmerfeldrubble fieldnoun
  • Trümmerlandschaftrubble-strewn landscapenoun

Word lists with this word