verteuern

Verteuern is a German verb meaning to cause something to become more expensive or to raise the price of goods or services. It can be used transitively, for example: „Der Staat verteuert Zölle“ or „Neue Steuern verteuern Produkte.“ More commonly, it occurs in the intransitive form with sich: „Die Preise verteuern sich.“ The related noun is Verteuerung.

Etymology and form: The verb is built from teuer (expensive) with the prefix ver-, which in German indicates a change of state or result. Verteuern describes a process of price increases and is used in economic or policy contexts as a neutral term.

Usage and nuance: In economic reporting and policy discussions, verteuern describes price increases caused by factors such as rising production costs, energy prices, taxes, tariffs, or currency movements. It is a neutral term that does not specify whether the rise is temporary or permanent. It is closely related to, but broader than, synonyms such as Preissteigerung, Preiserhöhung or Kostensteigerung. The noun Verteuerung refers to the phenomenon of prices becoming higher, often used in analyses of inflationary pressures.

Examples: Steigende Rohstoffpreise verteuern die Herstellungskosten. Die Einführung höherer Steuern verteuert Produkte im Einzelhandel. Die Verteuerung der Lebenshaltungskosten belastet Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher und kann inflationsbedingte Kaufkraftverluste widerspiegeln.

See also: Preissteigerung, Inflation, Preiserhöhung, Kostensteigerung, Verteuerungsgrad.