verb

steigen

get out · rise · climb

nach oben gehen oder höher werden

Definition & meaning

The verb steigen primarily refers to an upward movement or an increase in value. It can be understood in several contexts:

Physical movement upward: To move from a lower to a higher position, such as climbing a mountain, walking up stairs, or an airplane gaining altitude.
Increase in value or intensity: Used to describe numbers, prices, temperatures, or levels that are going up. For example, "Die Preise steigen" (Prices are rising).
Getting into or out of a vehicle: While often used with prefixes (like einsteigen or aussteigen), the base verb can imply the act of stepping into or onto a vehicle, like a horse or a carriage.

Grammar & Word origin

steigen is a strong verb (starkes Verb). Its principal parts are:

Präsens: steigt
Präteritum: stieg
Perfekt: ist gestiegen

Because it usually denotes a change of position or state, it uses the auxiliary verb sein to form the perfect tense.

Etymologically, the word comes from the Old High German stīgan, which is related to the Old English word stīgan (to go up, ascend). It shares roots with the English word "stair" and "sty" (as in a rising or swelling on the eyelid).

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

For physical climbing: klettern or aufsteigen
For an increase in amount/value: zunehmen or ansteigen
For rapid rising: vordringen (in specific contexts) or klettern (metaphorically for prices)

Antonyms