weichen

Meaning(s) in English

1. to give way / yield / back off

   • Er wich einen Schritt zurück. → He stepped back / gave way.
   • Often used for yielding in a physical or figurative sense (pressure, demands, authority).

2. to evade / avoid (by moving aside)

   • Er wich dem Schlag aus. → He dodged the blow.
   • This sense is close to “ausweichen” (to swerve/avoid).

3. to retreat / withdraw

   • Die Truppen wichen. → The troops retreated.

4. (of something abstract) to fade / disappear / give way

   • Die Angst wich der Erleichterung. → The fear gave way to relief.

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Word parts / related forms

• Root: weich = “soft”
• Verb: weichen originally relates to becoming “soft” or “less resistant,” and from that comes the idea of yielding.
• Common related verbs:
  • ausweichen = to evade, swerve, dodge
  • zurückweichen = to recoil, step back
  • abweichen = to deviate (from a plan/route)

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German synonyms (depending on meaning)

• nachgeben (yield, give in)
• zurücktreten / zurückgehen (step back)
• ausweichen (evade, dodge)
• fliehen / sich zurückziehen (flee, withdraw)
• schwinden / vergehen (fade, pass away)

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German antonyms (if applicable)

• standhalten (hold firm)
• widerstehen (resist)
• sich behaupten (hold one’s ground)
• angreifen (attack) (esp. opposite of retreating)
• bleiben (stay) (in contexts of not yielding/withdrawing)