Verb

kleben

to stick, to glue, to adhere

Der Aufkleber klebt an der Wand.

The sticker is sticking to the wall.

Sie klebt das Foto ins Album.

She is gluing the photo into the album.

Der Honig klebt an meinen Fingern.

The honey is sticking to my fingers.

to stick to ((sth.dat)) an+3 kleben The chewing gum is sticking to the shoe.

to glue ((sth.acc)) onto ((sth.acc)) et4 an/auf+4 kleben I'm gluing a stamp onto the letter.

Synonyms: haften (to adhere), leimen (to glue); Antonyms: lösen (to detach), abziehen (to peel off)

From Old High German 'klēbēn', meaning 'to stick'. Related to the English word 'cleave' (to adhere to).

Think of 'clay' that 'cleaves' or sticks to things. 'Kleben' sounds a bit like 'cleave'.

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