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verb

töten

kill

Jemandem das Leben nehmen, sodass die Person nicht mehr lebt.

Definition & meaning

töten means to kill: to cause the death of a person, animal, or other living being. It can describe an intentional or unintentional act.

Grammar & Word origin

  • Verb: regular and transitive, normally taking an accusative object.
  • Principal forms: töten, tötete, hat getötet.
  • The verb is related to tot (“dead”) and Tod (“death”).

Synonyms & antonyms

  • umbringen — “to kill”; more informal and often implies deliberate killing.
  • ermorden — “to murder”; specifically refers to unlawful, intentional killing.
  • retten — “to save”; an opposite when it means saving someone’s life.
  • wiederbeleben — “to resuscitate”; means restoring vital functions, rather than simply preventing death.

Common phrases & collocations

  • jemanden töten — to kill someone
  • ein Tier töten — to kill an animal
  • bei einem Unfall getötet werden — to be killed in an accident

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Examples

Er wird keine Tiere töten.verb

He will kill no animals

Der Jäger darf nicht mehr töten.verb

The hunter is no longer allowed to kill.

Warum hat der Krieger das Ungeheuer getötet?verb

Why did the warrior kill the monster?

Das Gift tötete die Fische im Fluss.verb

The poison killed the fish in the river.

Der starke Frost hat viele Pflanzen getötet.verb

The severe frost has killed many plants.

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