German word

bewältigen

Pronunciation

IPA/bəˈvɛltɪgn̩/

Meaning

  • verbcope with

Example

Er bewältigt den Stress gut.

He copes well with stress.

Illustration for bewältigen (cope with)

More examples

Sie konnte die Krise bewältigen.

She was able to cope with the crisis.

Core concept

A person carries a difficult load over the final stretch and brings it safely under control.

Common phrases

  • bewältigen Stress

    cope with stress

  • bewältigen eine Krise

    cope with a crisis

  • bewältigen eine schwierige Aufgabe

    cope with a difficult task

Similar words

schaffen: To finish a task or overcome a difficulty successfully.
umgehen mit: To handle difficult people, situations, or feelings and keep problems manageable.
zurechtkommen: To get through daily life despite difficult circumstances.

Definition in German

eine schwierige Aufgabe oder Belastung meistern; durch eigenes Handeln eine Lösung erreichen

Word origin

Bewältigen combines the prefix be- with the older verb wältigen, which is related to German walten and expresses bringing something under control.

Usage tips

  • Bewältigen normally takes an accusative object, as in "eine Aufgabe bewältigen" or "den Stress bewältigen", rather than an object introduced by mit.

Other meanings

  • overcomeverb
  • handleverb
  • get throughverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word