verb
besteuern
tax
Von Geld oder Sachen einen Teil an den Staat geben lassen, meist als Pflicht.
Definition & meaning
besteuern means to tax: to impose a tax on a person, business, income, product, or activity.
- Der Staat besteuert Tabak. — “The state taxes tobacco.”
- Einkommen wird unterschiedlich besteuert. — “Income is taxed differently.”
Grammar & word origin
besteuern is a regular, transitive verb: it usually takes a direct object—the person or thing being taxed.
- Present: ich besteuere
- Simple past: ich besteuerte
- Present perfect: ich habe besteuert
The prefix be- makes the verb transitive, while Steuer means “tax.” The verb is related to the noun die Steuer .
Synonyms & antonyms
- mit einer Steuer belegen — “to impose a tax on”; a direct alternative, often emphasizing the act of charging a tax.
- steuerpflichtig machen — “to make liable for tax”; emphasizes the person’s or organization’s tax status rather than the tax being levied.
- von der Steuer befreien — “to exempt from tax”; an antonym describing removal of tax liability.
- steuerfrei stellen — “to make tax-exempt”; an antonym referring to granting tax-free status.
Common phrases & collocations
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Examples
Der Staat wird das Einkommen besteuern.verb
The state will tax the income
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