German word

entwenden

Pronunciation

IPA/ɛntˈvɛndən/

Meaning

  • verbsteal

Example

Er hat das Buch entwendet.

He stole the book.

Illustration for entwenden (steal)

More examples

Er entwendete die Armbanduhr, während niemand hinsah.

He stole the wristwatch while no one was looking.

Core concept

A possession quietly moved from its owner's side into another person's hands.

Common phrases

  • unter Ablenkung etwas entwenden

    steal something while someone is distracted

  • aus dem Geschäft entwenden

    steal from the store

Similar words

stehlen: Taking someone else's property without permission and making it one's own.
klauen: Secretly taking something that belongs to someone else, in casual speech.
rauben: Taking property or money by using violence or threats.
unterschlagen: Illegally keeping entrusted money, goods, or company property for personal use.

Definition in German

transitives Verb; etwas aus dem Besitz eines anderen ohne dessen Wissen an sich bringen

Word origin

Entwenden combines the Germanic prefix ent- 'away' with wenden 'turn', expressing the older idea of turning or taking something away before developing the sense 'steal'.

Usage tips

  • Entwenden is formal and often appears in official or written contexts, while stehlen is more neutral and klauen is colloquial.

Other meanings

  • take awayverb

Opposites

Related words

  • Entwendungtheftnoun
  • entwendbarstealableadjective

Word lists with this word