German word

reißen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈʁaɪ̯sən/

Meaning

  • verbtear

Example

Er reißt das Papier.

He tears the paper.

Illustration for reißen (tear)

More examples

Beim Anziehen reißt mir die Naht.

When I put it on, the seam tears.

Core concept

A sheet under tension suddenly opens into a jagged split.

Common phrases

  • die Naht reißt

    the seam tears

  • etwas auseinander reißen

    tear ___ apart

  • das Tuch reißen

    tear the cloth

Similar words

zerreißen: Forceful tearing that completely separates something into pieces.
einreißen: Making a rip or hole in a material.
aufreißen: Forcefully tearing open a package or lid to reveal its contents.
ziehen: Moving an object in a particular direction by applying force.

Definition in German

plötzlich durch Kraftaufwand eine Öffnung oder Spalte in einem Material bewirken; sowohl transitiv als auch intransitiv verwendet werden

Word origin

Reißen is an inherited Germanic verb recorded in Old High German as rizan, with a long-standing sense of forcefully splitting material.

Usage tips

  • Its principal parts are reißen, riss, gerissen, so the past tense is not formed with a regular -te ending.

Other meanings

  • tear apartverb
  • ripverb
  • splitverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word