gegen
German, preposition/ˈɡe.ɡən/
gegen is spelled G-E-G-E-N (5 letters) and appears 1,072 times per million words in written German, the 98th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Gegen is a German preposition meaning “against” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
What does gegen mean in English?
preposition
- 1
against
Die Erklärung der Vereinten Nationen über die Beseitigung der Gewalt gegen Frauen.
- 2
toward (i.e. directed to someone/something)
- 3
toward (i.e. in the direction of)
- 4
approximately, around
- 5
in exchange for
- 6
facing
- 7
compare to
- 8
for
prefix
- 1
against, contrary to, contra-
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
particle: 1. dagegen, entgegen 2. im Austausch für 3. in Richtung auf, ungefähr um 4. ungefähr
prefix: 1. in Opposition zu etwas (Etabliertem) stehend 2. in Erwiderung auf etwas 3. gegenüberliegend, in entgegengesetzter Richtung verlaufend 4. entgegengestellt, entgegengesetzt
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 gegen
- wogegen error-unrecognized-form
- dagegen error-unrecognized-form
- hiergegen error-unrecognized-form
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce gegen?
- /ˈɡe.ɡən/
- [ˈɡeː.ɡn̩]
- [ˈɡeː.ɡŋ̍]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to gegen
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is gegen in German?
gegen appears 1,072 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).