French Conversation · Level 61
71 words
French word
crever
Pronunciation
IPA/kʁəve/
Meaning
- verbgo flat
Example
Le pneu a crevé sur la route.
The tire went flat on the road.
More examples
Après le marathon, il crève de fatigue.
After the marathon, he is dead tired.
Core concept
A tire or balloon loses its air through a tear and collapses, extending figuratively to a person whose energy or life is gone.
Common phrases
crever un pneu
blow out a tire
crever d'ennui
be bored to death
crever de fatigue
be dead tired
Similar words
percer: To pierce something with a sharp object, making a hole through it.
dégonfler: To deflate as air escapes through a valve or small hole.
Definition in French
Perdre de l'air par un trou ou une déchirure, entraînant la déflation d'un pneu ou d'un ballon ; familièrement, signifier mourir ou être très fatigué.
Word origin
French crever comes through Old French from Latin crepare, meaning to crack or burst, and developed senses involving rupture, deflation, death, and exhaustion.
Usage tips
- In colloquial French, être crevé means 'to be exhausted', while crever for 'to die' is also familiar and can sound blunt.