German Conversation · Level 119
43 words
German word
schleichen
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈʃlaɪ̯çən/
Meaning
- verbsneak
Example
Er schleicht durch das Zimmer, ohne das Licht anzumachen.
He is sneaking through the room without turning on the light.
More examples
Die Katze schleicht wie eine Raubkatze durch das hohe Gras.
The cat sneaks through the tall grass like a big cat.
Core concept
A cautious figure advances in near silence, sometimes approaching a person or place and sometimes merely crossing ground at a slow pace.
Common phrases
heimlich schleichen
sneak stealthily
wie eine Katze schleichen
creep like a cat
langsam schleichen
creep slowly
Similar words
gehen: Travel on foot from one place to another in the usual way.
laufen: Move quickly on foot, typically faster than walking.
kriechen: Progress along the ground with the body kept low, using hands or the belly.
anschleichen: Quietly draw near to someone or something to avoid being detected.
Definition in German
sich leise und ohne Eile fortbewegen; sowohl im Sinne von heimlichem Annähern als auch von langsamem Vorankommen verwendet
Word origin
Schleichen developed from the Germanic verb stem seen in Old High German slīhan and Middle High German slîchen.
Usage tips
- The simple verb often takes a path phrase such as "durch den Raum," while "sich anschleichen" specifically describes sneaking up on someone or something.
Other meanings
- creep upverb
- crawlverb
Opposites
- stolzierenstrutverb
Related words
- Schleichwerbungsurreptitious advertisingnoun
- erschleichenobtain by deceptionverb