German word

sichern

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈzɪçɐn/

Meaning

  • verbreserve

Example

Ich sichere dir den Platz.

I'll reserve the seat for you.

Illustration for sichern (reserve)

More examples

Wir müssen die Daten regelmäßig sichern.

We must regularly save the data.

Core concept

A careful action keeps something available, protected, or firmly held for later use.

Common phrases

  • Daten sichern

    save data

  • einen Platz sichern

    reserve a place

  • die Tür sichern

    secure the door

Similar words

buchen: Reserve lodging or transport in advance for a planned journey.
reservieren: Reserve a seat or room beforehand for later use.
freihalten: Keep a seat or place open and unused for a particular person or purpose.
behalten: Retain possession of something instead of passing it to another person.

Definition in German

durch eigene Handlung etwas für sich festlegen oder reservieren, damit es einem sicher bleibt

Word origin

The verb sichern developed from the adjective sicher and extends the idea of safety to securing, saving, and reserving something.

Usage tips

  • Sichern can mean backing up data as well as reserving a place, while speichern usually focuses on storing data.

Other meanings

  • saveverb
  • protectverb
  • fastenverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word