durchbeißen

Durchbeißen is a German verb with a literal sense of biting through an obstacle or material, such as crust, rope, or wood. It is also used figuratively to describe enduring a difficult situation or period with persistent effort.

In use, durchbeißen follows the patterns of other prefixed verbs with durch- and beißen. The present tense forms typically separate the prefix (ich beiße durch, du biss durch, er beißt durch). The präteritum is formed with simple past (ich biss durch, du biss durch, er biss durch), and the perfect tense uses durchgebissen (ich habe durchgebissen). The reflexive form sich durchbeißen is common in the metaphorical sense (sie hat sich durch schwierige Zeiten durchgebissen).

Examples illustrate both senses: Der Hund hat den Knochen durchgebissen. Wir müssen die Nacht durchbeißen. Er hat das Seil durchgebissen. Sie hat sich durch schwierige Zeiten durchgebissen. In everyday language, the literal sense is more common for physical tasks, while the figurative sense appears in contexts of endurance, perseverance, or overcoming adversity.

Etymology and related terms: durch- is a productive German prefix meaning “through,” attached to beißen (to bite). Related verbs include durchhalten, durchstehen, and durchkommen, which convey perseverance or overcoming obstacles. The English cognate is bite through; Dutch doorbijten shares a parallel meaning.