Verb

an|knüpfen

to tie to, to establish, to follow up on, to connect with

Er will neue Kontakte anknüpfen.

He wants to establish new contacts.

Ich möchte an unser letztes Gespräch anknüpfen.

I would like to follow up on our last conversation.

Sie knüpfte das Band an den Baum an.

She tied the ribbon to the tree.

((an sth.acc)) anknüpfen to follow up on (sth.) We are following up on last year's successes.

Kontakte ((zu sb.dat)) anknüpfen to establish contacts (with sb.) He was able to establish many contacts at the trade fair.

((sth.acc)) ((an sth.acc)) anknüpfen to tie (sth.) to (sth.) She tied a cloth to a stick.

Synonyms: to connect, to continue, to fasten; Antonyms: to sever, to disconnect

From the prefix an- ('on', 'to') and the verb knüpfen ('to tie', 'to knot'). It literally means 'to tie on to'.

Imagine tying a knot (knüpfen) to connect (an-) two things, like ropes. This can be literal or figurative, like connecting ideas or contacts.

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.