German word

gebraucht

Pronunciation

IPA/gəˈbʁaʊ̯xt/

Meaning

  • adjectivesecondhand

Example

Er verkauft sein gebrauchtes Handy.

He is selling his secondhand cell phone.

Illustration for gebraucht (secondhand)

More examples

Ich habe ein gebrauchtes Buch im Secondhand-Laden gekauft.

I bought a secondhand book at a secondhand store.

Core concept

An object changes hands after use, so its next buyer receives a secondhand item rather than a new one.

Common phrases

  • gebrauchtes Handy

    secondhand mobile phone

  • gebrauchte Möbel

    secondhand furniture

  • gebrauchte Bücher

    secondhand books

Similar words

benutzt: Having been used and therefore not in new condition.
secondhand: Previously used or owned by an individual or retailer.
generalüberholt: Checked and repaired by a manufacturer or specialist for reliable performance.
aufbereitet: Prepared for sale through cleaning, repair, or other improvements.

Definition in German

Bezeichnet einen Gegenstand, der zuvor in Gebrauch war und deshalb nicht mehr neu ist

Word origin

The adjective comes from the past participle gebraucht of gebrauchen, whose base verb means 'use'; the participle became a regular adjective for previously used goods.

Usage tips

  • In Das wird gebraucht, gebraucht usually means 'is needed', so context distinguishes this sense from the adjective meaning 'used'.

Other meanings

  • usedadjective

Opposites

  • neunewadjective
  • unbenutztunusedadjective

Related words

Word lists with this word