Uitreiken

Uitreiken is a Dutch verb with two main senses. It commonlymeans to hand out or to award something to someone, especially in a formal or ceremonial context. It can also describe the physical action of extending an arm or hand toward someone or something.

The verb is separable: in present tense you typically place the particle at the end of the clause, as in "de voorzitter reikt de prijs uit aan de winnaar." The simple past is "reikte uit," and the past participle is "uitgereikt," used with hebben or in the passive form "is uitgereikt." The infinitive is "uitreiken." For example: "De jury heeft de prijzen uitgereikt" or "De prijs is uitgereikt."

Noun forms include uitreiking, which denotes the act or ceremony of presenting awards. Common compound nouns are prijsuitreiking and diploma-uitreiking, referring to the award ceremonies for prizes and diplomas, respectively. Uitreiken is widely used in contexts such as sports, academia, culture, and official ceremonies.

Usage notes: uitreiken emphasizes the act of bestowing something formally, rather than merely distributing items. It is often preferred over uitdelen when the focus is on recognition or ceremony. In everyday speech, synonyms like overhandigen or toekennen may be used depending on context; overhandigen stresses the physical handover, while toekennen emphasizes the conferment or grant.

See also: overhandigen, toekennen, uitreiking (noun).