German word

wagen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈvaːgən/

Meaning

  • verbdare

Example

Ich wage es, ihm zu helfen.

I dare to help him.

Illustration for wagen (dare)

More examples

Sie wagt den ersten Schritt und spricht offen mit dem Team.

She ventures to take the first step and speaks openly with the team.

Core concept

Someone chooses to cross a doubtful boundary because reaching the other side matters.

Common phrases

  • den ersten Schritt wagen

    venture to take the first step

  • eine Frage wagen

    venture to ask a question

  • die Wahrheit wagen

    venture to tell the truth

Similar words

sich trauen: To have the courage to do something.
versuchen: To try something to see whether it succeeds.
riskieren: To do something while accepting possible harm or disadvantage.

Definition in German

den Mut haben, etwas zu tun, obwohl man scheitern könnte.

Word origin

The verb wagen is an inherited Germanic word, recorded as Old High German wagan and later as Middle High German waegen, with its meaning developing toward risk-taking.

Usage tips

  • With a noun, wagen often describes a bold attempt, as in ein Risiko wagen or einen Versuch wagen.

Other meanings

  • ventureverb

Opposites

  • sich zurückhaltenrestrain oneselfverb

Related words

  • wagemutigboldadjective
  • Gewagtheitaudacitynoun

Word lists with this word