verb
to be stuck, to jam
B1
stecken primarily means 'to be stuck' or 'to jam' (something lodged or jammed). It's a regular (weak) verb; perfect with haben: gesteckt. Non-separable and non-reflexive. Used transitively (etwas stecken) or intransitively with prepositions (in etwas stecken, or stecken bleiben 'to remain stuck').
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Das Papier steckt im Drucker und verhindert den Druck.
The paper jammed in the printer and stopped it from printing.
Der Techniker steckte das Kabel ein, weil das Gerät sonst nicht funktionierte.
The technician plugged the cable in because the device would not have worked otherwise.
Die Tür steckt fest, ich kann sie nicht öffnen.
The door is stuck; I can't open it.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.DETAILS_LABEL
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
Imagine a fork caught in a drain: it is stuck, it 'steckt' there
think 'stuck in' — stecken often means something is stuck
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.NOTES
Sense 2 (intransitive): describes something being stuck or jammed. Often used with objects that cannot move freely. | Intransitive verb; passive forms are not applicable.