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ausschalten
/ˈaʊsˌʃaltn̩/
to turn off
Kannst du das Licht ausschalten?
Can you turn off the light?
general
To turn off or deactivate an electrical device or system.
Er hat den Fernseher ausgeschaltet.
He turned off the TV.
Commonly used for household appliances and electronic devices.
figurative
To disable or deactivate something, often figuratively.
Sie hat die Alarmanlage ausgeschaltet.
She disabled the alarm system.
Can also be used metaphorically for disabling systems or processes.
Collocations
das Licht ausschaltento turn off the lightden Fernseher ausschaltento turn off the TVdie Alarmanlage ausschaltento disable the alarm
Synonyms
Antonyms
Pro Tip
Separable Prefix
Remember that 'ausschalten' is a separable verb. In the past participle, the prefix moves to the end: 'ausgeschaltet'.
Word Origin
From the German prefix 'aus-' (out) and the verb 'schalten' (to switch).
Usage Notes
The verb is separable, meaning the prefix 'aus-' can be separated from the verb in certain grammatical constructions.
Word Breakdown
aus-
out
prefixschalten
to switch
rootDeutsch-Englisch Wörterbuch