German word

umschreiben

Pronunciation

IPA/ʊmˈʃʁaɪ̯bn̩/

Meaning

  • verbrephrase

Example

Ich schreibe den Satz um.

I am rephrasing the sentence.

Illustration for umschreiben (rephrase)

More examples

Kannst du den Satz umschreiben, damit er kürzer wird?

Can you rephrase the sentence so it is shorter?

Core concept

A writer takes the same thought and gives it a different verbal shape, perhaps clearer, shorter, or more detailed.

Common phrases

  • den Satz umschreiben

    rephrase the sentence

  • eine Passage umschreiben

    rephrase a passage

  • den Text umschreiben

    rephrase the text

Similar words

umformulieren: Rewording a sentence while keeping its intended meaning.
paraphrasieren: Restating source content in different words without changing its meaning.

Definition in German

etwas anders formulieren, zum Beispiel eine Sache knapp oder ausführlich in eigenen Worten wiedergeben

Word origin

Umschreiben is a compound of um and schreiben, and the separable prefix marks a renewed or altered act of writing.

Usage tips

  • The same spelling also has a nonseparable use meaning to describe something indirectly: 'Er umschreibt das Problem'.

Other meanings

  • rewriteverb

Opposites

Related words

  • Umschreibungrephrasingnoun
  • Umschreiberrephrasernoun
  • umschreibbarrephrasableadjective

Word lists with this word