festmachen
German, verb[ˈfɛstˌmaxn̩]
festmachen is spelled F-E-S-T-M-A-C-H-E-N (10 letters) and appears 1.2 times per million words in written German, the 35,124th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Festmachen is a German verb meaning “to affix, to fasten (to firmly attach something by way of rope, tacks, or other mechanisms)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “vor dem Abfallen, Runterrutschen, Wegblasen oder Ähnlichem sichern; etwas befestigen”.
What does festmachen mean in English?
verb
- 1
to affix, to fasten (to firmly attach something by way of rope, tacks, or other mechanisms)
- 2
to moor (to secure a water vessel in place)
- 3
to moor, to stop (to be secured in place, of water vessels)
- 4
to set, to agree (on) (a meeting, etc.)
Wir haben einen Treffpunkt festgemacht.
- 5
to ascribe, to attribute
Diese Unterschiede lassen sich am Alter der Probanden festmachen.
- 6
to exemplify, to demonstrate
Der Erfolg lässt sich an steigenden Verkaufszahlen festmachen.
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
verb: 1. vor dem Abfallen, Runterrutschen, Wegblasen oder Ähnlichem sichern; etwas befestigen 2. ernsthaft vereinbaren 3. gedanklich in einen (ursächlichen) Zusammenhang bringen 4. mit Tauen vor dem Abtreiben sichern
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of festmachen
- macht fest present singular third-person
- machte fest past
- festgemacht participle past
- haben auxiliary
- festmachend participle present
- festzumachen infinitive infinitive-zu
- mache fest first-person indicative present
- machen fest first-person indicative plural
- machst fest indicative present second-person
- machest fest second-person singular subjunctive
- machet fest plural second-person subjunctive
- machten fest first-person indicative plural
- machtest fest indicative preterite second-person
- machtet fest indicative plural preterite
- mach fest! imperative singular
- mache fest! imperative singular
- macht fest! imperative plural
- festgemacht haben active infinitive perfect
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce festmachen?
- [ˈfɛstˌmaxn̩]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to festmachen
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is festmachen in German?
festmachen appears 1.2 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).