German word

umbringen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈʊmˌbrɪŋən/

Meaning

  • verbkill

Example

Er bringt ihn um.

He is killing him.

Illustration for umbringen (kill)

More examples

Die Täter wollen das Opfer umbringen.

The perpetrators want to kill the victim.

Core concept

A direct act by one person brings another person's life to an irreversible end.

Common phrases

  • jemanden umbringen

    kill someone

  • sich umbringen

    kill oneself

  • jemanden mit Gift umbringen

    kill someone with poison

Similar words

töten: To cause a person's death deliberately or accidentally.
ermorden: To kill someone deliberately in a premeditated criminal act.
erschießen: To kill a person with a firearm.
vergiften: To kill someone by using poison.

Definition in German

durch eigenes Handeln das Leben einer Person beenden.

Word origin

German formed umbringen by joining um- to bringen, and this separable compound acquired the established sense 'kill' from its change-of-state meaning.

Usage tips

  • Umbringen is more direct and often more colloquial than töten, while both can describe deliberately ending a person's life.

Other meanings

  • do away withverb
  • murderverb

Opposites

Related words

  • das Umbringenkillingnoun
  • umgebrachtkilledadjective

Word lists with this word