German word

vereinzeln

Pronunciation

IPA/fɛɐ̯ˈaɪ̯nt͡səln/

Meaning

  • verbspace out

Example

Die Helfer vereinzeln die Warteschlange, damit Abstand entsteht.

The staff are spacing out the queue so that people can keep their distance.

Illustration for vereinzeln (space out)

More examples

Gärtner vereinzeln die Setzlinge, damit jede Pflanze genug Platz hat.

The gardeners thin out the seedlings so that each plant has enough room.

Core concept

A dense cluster thins until its members stand apart as individual units.

Common phrases

  • vereinzeln Pflanzen

    thin out plants

  • vereinzeln die Warteschlange

    space out the queue

  • vereinzeln Setzlinge

    thin out seedlings

Similar words

trennen: Separating people or things so they are no longer joined.
ausdünnen: Reducing the number of members in a crowd or the density of an area.
isolieren: Keeping a person or thing entirely apart from external contact.
reduzieren: Reducing the amount, number, degree, or intensity of something.

Definition in German

Etwas in einzelne Teile oder Gruppen zerlegen oder verteilen, sodass die Gesamtheit weniger dicht oder seltener wird.

Word origin

The verb vereinzeln derives from the adjective einzeln by adding ver-, a common German verb-forming prefix, and describes a change toward separate units.

Usage tips

  • The adjective or adverb vereinzelt often means 'isolated' or 'occasional', as in 'vereinzelt auftretende Fehler' for 'occasional errors.'

Other meanings

  • thin outverb
  • disperseverb

Opposites

Related words

  • Vereinzelungthinningnoun
  • vereinzeltisolatedadjective

Word lists with this word