German word

wegnehmen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈvɛkˌneːmən/

Meaning

  • verbtake away

Example

Ich nehme ihm das Buch weg.

I take the book away from him.

Illustration for wegnehmen (take away)

More examples

Der Richter nahm dem Angeklagten die Fahrerlaubnis weg.

The judge took the defendant's driver's license away.

Core concept

A hand takes an object out of another person's reach, leaving that person without it.

Common phrases

  • jemandem den Stift wegnehmen

    take someone's pen away

  • jemandem die Freiheit wegnehmen

    take someone's freedom away

Similar words

nehmen: Grasp an object and claim it as one's own.
mitnehmen: Bring an object along while going somewhere else.
klauen: Take someone else's property secretly and without permission.
wegtragen: Move an object away by carrying it to another place.

Definition in German

jemandem etwas wegnehmen heißt, einer Person eine Sache nehmen oder entfernen, sodass sie sie nicht mehr hat.

Word origin

Wegnehmen is a separable compound of weg, meaning away, and nehmen, meaning take, so its literal structure describes taking something away.

Usage tips

  • In a main clause, wegnehmen splits, as in 'Ich nehme ihm das Buch weg'; the prefix appears at the end.

Other meanings

  • seizeverb
  • removeverb

Opposites

Related words

  • Wegnahmetaking awaynoun
  • wegnehmbarremovableadjective

Word lists with this word