spurten

to sprint, to put on a burst of speed

verb SHPOOR-ten Rare

Usage Note

spurten describes a short, explosive burst of running, typically to catch something or reach a goal quickly. It is used colloquially (spurt!) as well as in sports commentary; zum Bus spurten (sprint for the bus) is a very common everyday use.

Examples

"Sie spurtete los, als die Ampel auf Grün schaltete."

Natural Translation

She sprinted off when the traffic light turned green.

Literal Translation

She sprinted off when the traffic-light switched to green.

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