töten meaning and definition in german

In formal style, töten is an adequate translation of English “to kill” in its literal meaning. Colloquially, the verb umbringen is preferred and töten is rare. In particular, only umbringen is generally used in figurative senses. For example: Ich bring meinen Freund um, wenn er meine Blumen nicht gegossen hat! – “I'll kill my boyfriend if he hasn't watered my flowers!”