Wegtreiben

Wegtreiben is a German verb that means to drive away or disperse something by force, influence, or external pressure. It can describe the physical movement of people, animals, or objects, as well as the dispersion of intangible things such as fears, doubts, or clouds. In everyday language, it is used for both concrete and figurative scenarios.

Grammatically, wegtreiben is a separable prefix verb. In the present tense the prefix appears with the verb: ich treibe weg, du treibst weg, er treibt weg. In sentences with a finite verb, the prefix is typically placed at the end: Der Wind treibt die Wolken weg. In perfect tense, the prefix remains with the participle: Der Wind hat die Wolken weggetrieben. The noun form das Wegtreiben refers to the act or process of driving something away.

Usage notes and examples show a range of contexts. Physically, it is used for forces that push elements away, such as wind driving clouds or a dog driving birds off a field. Figuratively, it can describe dispelling unwanted phenomena, for example: Die Zweifel wurden durch die klare Erläuterung weggetrieben. The term is somewhat more specific than synonyms like vertreiben or verdrängen, emphasizing an active, outward movement caused by an external force or intervention.

See also: vertreiben, verdrängen. In meteorology and agriculture, Wegtreiben is a common descriptive device for short- or long-term dispersion effects; in literary or rhetorical contexts it serves to convey the idea of banishing something undesirable.