drücken
Translation
to press, to push, to hug, to squeeze
Examples
Drück bitte den Knopf.
Please press the button.
Er drückte meine Hand fest.
He squeezed my hand tightly.
Die neuen Schuhe drücken mich.
The new shoes are pinching me.
Ich drücke dir die Daumen.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.
Grammar Patterns
((sth.)) to press sth. Drück bitte den Knopf.
((sb.)) to hug sb. Sie drückte ihr Kind fest.
sich ((vor+3)) to shirk sth. Er drückt sich vor der Arbeit.
Similar Words
Synonyms: pressen (to press), schieben (to push); Antonyms: ziehen (to pull)
Etymology
From Old High German 'drucken'. Related to the English dialect word 'thrutch' (to press, squeeze).
Memory Tips
Think of 'Druck' as pressure. When you 'drücken', you apply pressure. The idiom 'Daumen drücken' (to press thumbs) means to keep your fingers crossed for someone.