niederschlagen

German

Etymology

From Middle High German niderslahen, from Old High German nidarslahan. Equivalent to nieder- +‎ schlagen.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈniːdəʁˌʃlaːɡən/, [ˈniːdɐˌʃlaːɡŋ]
  • Audio (Germany (Berlin)):(file)
  • Audio (Germany (Berlin)):(file)
  • Hyphenation: nie‧der‧schla‧gen

Verb

niederschlagen (class 6 strong, third-person singular present schlägt nieder, past tense schlug nieder, past participle niedergeschlagen, past subjunctive schlüge nieder, auxiliary haben)

  1. to defeat (an enemy)
  2. to quell (a rebellion)
  3. to strike (someone) down, to beat (someone) down; to force someone downwards
    einen Mann niederschlagento beat a man to the ground
  4. to cast down (one's eyes), to look down
  5. (now formal) to quit to pursue (a legal claim or a criminal proceeding)
    • 2026 February 3, Bernhard Nadler, “Gold aus Schließfach verschwunden – So sieht die Sparkasse Dingolfing die Beschuldigungen”, in Passauer Neue Presse[1], archived from the original on 5 February 2026:
      [H]aben Sie sich persönlich dafür verwendet, dass die Ermittlungen gegen den Beschuldigten niedergeschlagen werden? Strohmaier: Nein.
      [D]id you personally intervene to have the investigation against the accused discontinued? Strohmaier: No.

Conjugation

Derived terms

Further reading