Staubsauger

vacuum cleaner

noun SHTOWP-zow-ger Less Common

Usage Note

Staubsauger literally means dust-sucker, from Staub (dust) and saugen (to suck). The verb staubsaugen means to vacuum; the masculine plural is unchanged.

Examples

"Der Staubsauger steht im Putzschrank."

Natural Translation

The vacuum cleaner is in the cleaning cupboard.

Literal Translation

The vacuum-cleaner stands in-the cleaning-cupboard.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Cases Explained Simply (4 Cases)

German has four cases, and each answers one question: wer, wen, wem, wessen. Learn nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive without drowning in charts.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German False Friends: 25 Words That Trick You

German false friends like Gift (poison) and bekommen (to receive) trick English speakers daily. Here are 25 words that mean the opposite of what you'd guess.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

How to Tell Time in German Without Mistakes

Halb sieben means 6:30, not 7:30. Master telling time in German — Viertel nach, halb, vor, the 24-hour clock, and the prepositions that trip up beginners.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Umlauts & ß: Sounds and Typing

Pronounce ä, ö, ü with the front-tongue, rounded-lips rule, master the ß vs ss spelling, and type every German umlaut on Mac, Windows, and phone.

June 5, 2026 6 min read