German word

bloß

Pronunciation

IPA/bloːs/

Meaning

  • adverbonly

Example

Er hat bloß fünf Euro.

He has only five euros.

Illustration for bloß (only)

More examples

Ich brauche bloß noch fünf Minuten.

I only need five more minutes.

Core concept

A situation is stripped down until just one limited point remains.

Common phrases

  • bloß noch

    just a little more

  • bloß mal

    just a bit

Similar words

nur: Neutrally limits the amount or scope to only what is stated.
einfach: Expresses that something is simply enough as it is, without extras.

Definition in German

Nur; wird in Fragen und Ausrufen oft benutzt, um Erstaunen, Ungeduld oder dringende Einschränkung zu betonen.

Word origin

The adverb bloß developed from the Germanic adjective represented by Old High German bloz, 'bare' or 'exposed', through the idea of having nothing additional.

Usage tips

  • In the fixed expression 'Bloß nicht!', bloß strengthens the warning and means 'absolutely not', rather than simply 'only not'.

Other meanings

  • simplyadverb

Word lists with this word