Auszuschöpfen

Auszuschöpfen is a German verb whose standard, normative spelling is ausschöpfen. The form with the sequence auszuschöpfen is not the conventional orthography; many speakers use it colloquially, but the correct spelling in dictionaries and formal writing is ausschöpfen. The verb means to draw out or to use something to its full extent, and it can refer to resources, potential, opportunities or capacities.

Etymologically, ausschöpfen is formed from the verb schöpfen (to scoop or draw) with the prefix aus-, indicating completion or extraction. The noun related to the action is Ausschöpfung, for example die Ausschöpfung des Potenzials (the full utilization of potential) or die Ausschöpfung von Ressourcen (the exhaustion or full use of resources). Grammatically, ausschöpfen is a separable-prefix verb: ich schöpfe aus, du schöpfst aus, er schöpft aus, wir schöpfen aus, ihr schöpft aus, sie schöpfen aus; perfekt: ich habe ausgeschöpft.

Usage and nuance: ausschöpfen is often neutral to positive, describing the act of making the most of something—Potenzial, Möglichkeiten, Kapazitäten, Spielraum. In economics and management it denotes efficient utilization, while in everyday language it can also imply reaching a limit or depletion of resources. It is sometimes contrasted with ausnutzen, which carries a more negative or exploitative connotation when directed at people.

Examples: Die Unternehmen wollen das Marktpotenzial ausschöpfen. Wir sollten unseren Spielraum vollständig ausschöpfen. Die Vorräte wurden vollständig ausgeschöpft.