verdrecken
Translation
to soil, to get dirty, to pollute
Examples
Die Kinder haben ihre Kleidung verdreckt.
The children soiled their clothes.
Der Fluss ist stark verdreckt.
The river is heavily polluted.
Grammar Patterns
((sth.)) to soil (sth.) The children soiled their clothes.
verdreckt sein to be dirty/polluted The river is heavily polluted.
Similar Words
Synonyms: verschmutzen (to pollute), beschmutzen (to soil); Antonyms: säubern (to clean), reinigen (to clean)
Etymology
From the prefix 'ver-' (indicating a negative change) + 'Dreck' (dirt, filth). Literally 'to make dirty'.
Memory Tips
Imagine 'ver-' making something worse, and 'Dreck' is dirt. So 'verdrecken' is the process of becoming full of dirt.