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schimpfen

to scold

verb SHIM-pfen Less Common
Communication Speech

Also means

to grumble

Usage Note

schimpfen means to scold or rail angrily: mit jemandem schimpfen (to tell someone off) or über etwas schimpfen (to grumble about something). It covers both directed reprimand and general griping. The noun Schimpfwort means a swear word.

Examples

"Die Mutter schimpfte mit den Kindern."

Natural Translation

The mother scolded the children.

Literal Translation

The mother scolded with the children.

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