stöta

Swedish

två massor som stöter ihop [two masses colliding (sharply bumping together)]

Etymology

stöt +‎ -a

Pronunciation

Audio: (file)

Verb

stöta (present stöter, preterite stötte, supine stött, imperative stöt)

(usually with a particle) to hit ((against) something) with a short, sharp impact; to bump, etc. (see usage notes below)
Båten stötte i/emot bryggan
The boat bumped against the pier

Jag råkade stöta emot honom när jag gick förbi
I accidentally bumped into [against] him as I was walking past

Hon stötte till honom i sidan med armbågen
She elbowed him in the side [bumped till (expresses a sudden and brief action) him in the side with her elbow]

I biljard kan man stöta köspetsen mot köbollen så att den far iväg och stöter ner en annan boll i ett hål
In pool, you can strike the tip of the cue against the cue ball so that it goes off and knocks [down] another ball into a pocket ["bump" sounds too light in this example]
1. to shoot (in cue sports)
2. to crush (with a pestle or the like)
  Stöt kardemummakärnorna i morteln
  Crush the cardamom seeds in the mortar
4. (idiomatic, in "stöta och blöta" ("pound and wet" – from pounding clothes on rocks or the like to wash them – see also the usage notes below)) to deliberate on (an issue or the like), (often) to discuss back and forth
  en fråga som stötts och blötts i tio år
  an issue that has been discussed back and forth / has been labored over [has been pounded and wet] for ten years [fairly calm-sounding despite the stöta/pound]
(in "stöta bort (“away”)") to push away, to repel (more generally, possibly at a distance)
Synonym: (especially physics) repellera (“repel”)

Lika laddningar stöter bort varandra
Like charges repel each other
1. (in "stöta bort (“away”)", figuratively) to push away, to alienate, etc.
  Hon stöter bort folk med sin attityd
  She pushes people away with her attitude
  
  Enkolumnslayouten riskerar att stöta bort desktop-användare
  The single-column layout risks alienating desktop users
2. to reject (a transplant)
  Immunhämmande medel förhindrar att kroppen stöter bort det transplanterade organet
  Immunosuppressive agents prevent the body from rejecting the transplanted organ
(with a particle, especially på, ihop, or samman, with stress on the particle) to encounter by chance
1. to meet by chance; to run into, to bump into, (more idiomatic for an animal) to encounter, etc.
  Jag stötte på en bekant nere på stan
  I ran into an acquaintance downtown
  
  Vi stötte på en björn i skogen
  We encountered a bear in the forest
2. (usually with på) to encounter (a thing or something more abstract); to run into, to meet with, to come across, to encounter, to hit on, etc.
  stöta på problem [see also stöta på patrull]
  run into problems
  
  Förslaget stötte på motstånd
  The proposal met with resistance
  
  Vi stötte på en gammal övergiven gruva under promenaden
  We came across / hit on an old abandoned mine during the walk
(in "stöta på," with stress on "stöta", colloquial) to hit on (someone)
Synonyms: (colloquial) ragga på, flörta med

stöta på en tjej
hit on a girl
to thrust, to lunge (with something)
stöta med svärdet
thrust with the sword
(often in the present participle "stötande" – see also "stött") to offend
använda stötande ord
use offensive/objectionable words

ta bort stötande kommentarer
remove offensive comments
1. (reflexive, with med) to upset (so as to get on bad terms with), to get on the wrong side of
  Jag tycker ditt förslag är bättre, men jag vill inte stöta mig med ledningen
  I think your proposal is better, but I don't want to upset / get on the wrong side of [bump/knock myself with] management
  
  Det kan vara farligt att stöta sig med maffian
  Getting on the wrong side of the mafia can be dangerous [It can be dangerous to bump/knock oneself with the mafia]
2. (reflexive, with på) to be irritated by (something)
  Vissa stöter sig på hennes frispråkiga sätt
  Some take offence at [bump/knock themselves on] her outspoken manner
to blow (on an instrument, like a horn or a trumpet)
stöta i hornet
blow on the horn
(with i) to have a particular color tint
Synonym: skifta i

Mahogny stöter i rött
Mahogany has a reddish tint
(athletics) to throw, to put (the ball/shot, in shot put (kulstötning))
stöta kula
put the shot / compete in/practice shot put

Usage notes

Like bump in (sense 1), except it sometimes sounds too light. "Sharply bump" could be another gloss.
Originally from a nursery rhyme in (sense 1.3) and implying repeatedly harping on something, though this association might be mostly lost to many native speakers.

Conjugation

Conjugation of stöta (weak)

	Active		Passive
Infinitive	stöta		stötas
Supine	stött		stötts
Imperative	stöt		—
Imper. plural¹	stöten		—
	Present	Past	Present	Past
Indicative	stöter	stötte	stöts, stötes	stöttes
Ind. plural¹	stöta	stötte	stötas	stöttes
Subjunctive²	stöte	stötte	stötes	stöttes
	Participles
Present participle	stötande
Past participle	stött
¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Derived terms

Related terms

stöt

References

Anagrams

sötat, östat