leisten
German, verb
leisten is spelled L-E-I-S-T-E-N (7 letters) and appears 62 times per million words in written German, the 1,391st most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Leisten is a German verb meaning “to perform (a task, work), to accomplish (a task), to achieve (a goal)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With a capital, Leisten is a different word: “last (tool for shaping or preserving the shape of shoes)”. The German Wiktionary defines it as “sich selbst etwas Gutes tun, sich etwas gönnen”.
What does leisten mean in English?
verb
- 1
to perform (a task, work), to accomplish (a task), to achieve (a goal)
Wir haben gute Arbeit geleistet.
- 2
to provide (aid, service)
Sie leistete erste Hilfe, bis der Krankenwagen kam.
- 3
to afford, to pay for
Ich kann mir jetzt kein neues Auto leisten.
noun
- 1
masculinelast (tool for shaping or preserving the shape of shoes)
noun
- 1
plural of Leiste
noun
- 1
neutergerund of leisten
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
verb: 1. sich selbst etwas Gutes tun, sich etwas gönnen 2. etwas wagen, was möglicherweise gegen Regeln verstößt 3. etwas zustande bringen, arbeiten 4. die finanziellen Möglichkeiten haben
noun: 1. Formstück in Form eines Fußes, das zur Herstellung von Schuhen verwendet wird
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 leisten
- leistet present singular third-person
- leistete past
- geleistet participle past
- haben auxiliary
- leistend participle present
- leiste first-person indicative present
- leistest indicative present second-person
- leisteten first-person indicative plural
- leistetest indicative preterite second-person
- leistetet indicative plural preterite
- leist imperative second-person singular
- habe geleistet first-person indicative multiword-construction
- haben geleistet first-person indicative multiword-construction
- leiste! imperative singular
- leistet! imperative plural
- geleistet haben active infinitive perfect
- geleistet werden processual-passive infinitive present
- geleistet worden sein processual-passive infinitive perfect
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How common is leisten in German?
leisten appears 62 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).