verb

einschneien

snow in

einschneien means to be snowed in or to become covered and blocked by snow.

Wir sind eingeschneit. — We are snowed in.
Das Dorf ist über Nacht eingeschneit. — The village was snowed in overnight.

The verb can also describe something becoming completely covered by falling snow:

It usually emphasizes that snow prevents movement or access, rather than merely saying that it is snowing.

einschneien is a separable verb:

It is formed from:

The prefix ein- adds the idea of being enclosed or trapped by snow. In everyday German, it is very often used with sein:

zuschneien — to be covered with snow or snow over; this focuses more on the physical covering than on people being trapped.
verschneit sein — to be snowy or covered in snow; this is more descriptive and does not necessarily imply being blocked.
eingeschlossen sein — to be trapped or enclosed; this is more general and does not specifically refer to snow.

There is no exact single antonym. Depending on the context, possible opposites include:

freigeschaufelt sein — to have been cleared of snow, especially a path or road.
aufgetaut sein — to have thawed; this describes the melting of snow or ice rather than the clearing of a blocked route.
frei sein — to be open or accessible, in contrast to being blocked by snow.

eingeschneit sein — to be snowed in
im Schnee eingeschneit sein — to be snowed in by the snow
über Nacht einschneien — to become snowed in overnight
komplett eingeschneit sein — to be completely snowed in
ein Dorf einschneien — to snow in a village
von der Außenwelt abgeschnitten sein — to be cut off from the outside world; a common consequence of being snowed in

Make “einschneien” part of your vocabulary.

Build your German vocabulary with flashcards, audio and spaced repetition.

Im Winter schneit das kleine Dorf oft völlig ein.verb

In winter, the small village is often completely snowed in.

Nachts schneite die abgelegene Hütte völlig ein, sodass niemand hinaus konnte.verb

At night the remote cabin was completely snowed in, so nobody could get out.

Während wir am Hang rasteten, schneite der schmale Weg plötzlich ein.verb

While we were resting on the slope, the narrow path suddenly snowed in.

Add words from websites, books and videos, then remember them with spaced repetition (SRS).