zusammentreten

Definition & meaning

The verb zusammentreten has two primary meanings in German:

1. To assemble or meet: This refers to a group of people coming together for a specific purpose, such as a meeting, a council, or a committee. It implies an organized gathering.
2. To stomp or crush together: This refers to the physical act of trampling or crushing items together by stepping on them, often causing them to break or become packed tightly.

Grammar & Word origin

Grammar:

• It is an inseparable verb (the prefix zusammen- remains attached in the past participle zusammengetreten).
• It is conjugated with the auxiliary verb sein because it involves a change of state or location (in the sense of gathering) or haben depending on the regional usage for the physical action.
• It is an irregular (strong) verb: tritt zusammen (present), trat zusammen (past), ist zusammengetreten (past participle).

Word origin: The word is a compound of the adverb zusammen (together) and the verb treten (to step, to tread, to kick).

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms:

• For the meaning "to assemble": versammeln↗, sich treffen[?](vocabuo://word/sich treffen), tagen↗, zusammenkommen↗.
• For the meaning "to stomp together": zerstampfen↗, zerdrücken↗.

Antonyms:

• For the meaning "to assemble": auseinandergehen↗, sich auflösen[?](vocabuo://word/sich auflösen).