German word

ausnutzen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈaʊ̯sˌnʊt͡sn̩/

Meaning

  • verbtake advantage of

Example

Ich nutze die Gelegenheit aus, um Deutsch zu üben.

I am taking advantage of the opportunity to practice German.

Illustration for ausnutzen (take advantage of)

More examples

Viele Firmen nutzen Sicherheitslücken aus.

Many companies exploit security vulnerabilities.

Core concept

A person squeezes every useful drop from a chance, resource, or another person for personal gain, often unfairly.

Common phrases

  • die Gelegenheit ausnutzen

    take advantage of the opportunity

  • eine Lücke ausnutzen

    exploit a loophole

  • jemanden ausnutzen

    exploit someone

Similar words

nutzen: Making good use of a tool or opportunity to achieve a useful result.
benutzen: Using an object or tool directly for a particular purpose.
ausbeuten: Exploiting people or resources for personal gain, often through unfair treatment.
profitieren: Receiving a benefit from a situation or from someone else's actions.

Definition in German

Eine Gelegenheit, Ressource oder Person so verwenden, dass man selbst davon profitiert; oft negativ, wenn Personen betroffen sind

Word origin

Ausnutzen combines aus, meaning out or fully, with nutzen, meaning use, and developed the sense of using something to one's own advantage.

Usage tips

  • Ausnutzen is separable, so the prefix moves to the end in a main clause: "Ich nutze die Gelegenheit aus."

Other meanings

  • misuseverb
  • exploitverb

Opposites

Related words

  • Ausnutzungexploitationnoun
  • Ausnutzerexploiternoun

Word lists with this word