verb

abhauen

run away · take off

Sich schnell von einem Ort entfernen, oft weil man nicht gesehen werden will.

Definition & meaning

abhauen is an informal German verb with two main meanings:

To leave suddenly or run away. It can suggest leaving without permission, explanation, or saying goodbye.
Example: Er ist einfach abgehauen. — “He just took off.”
To chop or hack something off. This meaning is usually used for physically cutting or striking something off.
Example: Sie haute einen Ast ab. — “She chopped off a branch.”

The expression Hau ab! is a blunt, informal way to tell someone to go away: “Get lost!” or “Go away!”

Grammar & Word origin

abhauen is a separable verb: in a main clause, ab separates from hauen (Er haut ab). Its principal forms are hauen – haute – gehauen. When it means “leave” or “run away,” it usually forms the perfect tense with sein: ist abgehauen. When it means “chop something off,” it generally takes an object and uses haben: hat einen Ast abgehauen.

The word combines ab , meaning “off” or “away,” with hauen , meaning “to hit” or “strike.”

Synonyms & antonyms

For the sense “leave suddenly,” possible synonyms include:

verschwinden — “to disappear”; less specifically about leaving in a hurry.
fliehen — “to flee”; emphasizes escape from danger or pursuit.
weggehen — “to go away”; more neutral and less abrupt.

Antonyms include bleiben (“to stay”) and dableiben (“to remain there”).

For the sense “chop off,” abhacken and abschlagen are similar, though their exact use depends on what is being removed. There is no single natural antonym for this meaning.