German word

saugen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈzaʊ̯gn̩/

Meaning

  • verbsuck

Example

Das Baby saugt an der Brust.

The baby is sucking at its mother's breast.

Illustration for saugen (suck)

More examples

Ich muss den Teppich saugen, bevor Gäste kommen.

I have to vacuum the carpet before guests arrive.

Core concept

An inward pull draws milk through a baby's mouth or dust through a vacuum nozzle.

Common phrases

  • Staub saugen

    vacuum up dust

  • Teppich saugen

    vacuum the carpet

Similar words

trinken: Take liquid into the mouth as a drink.
schlucken: Move food or liquid from the mouth down through the throat.

Definition in German

Mit dem Mund oder mit einem Gerät durch Ansaugen Luft, Flüssigkeit oder kleine Gegenstände in sich oder in das Gerät ziehen.

Word origin

Saugen descends from Old High German sūgan and is cognate with English suck and Dutch zuigen.

Usage tips

  • With a body part or object, saugen commonly uses an plus the dative, as in an der Brust saugen.

Other meanings

  • suck onverb
  • suck inverb
  • vacuumverb

Opposites

  • pustenblowverb

Related words

  • Staubsaugervacuum cleanernoun
  • Saugersuction devicenoun

Word lists with this word