すぼめる

す

ぼ

め

る

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

ichidan verb, transitive verb

make narrower; shut (umbrella); shrug (shoulders); purse (lips)

usually written using kana alone

Transitive verb meaning to draw something together or make it narrower. Used with specific body parts (shoulders, lips) or objects (umbrella). The intransitive counterpart is すぼまる.

彼かれは寒さむくて肩かたをすぼめた。
He shrugged his shoulders because of the cold.
彼かの女じょは口くちをすぼめて笛ふえを吹ふいた。
She pursed her lips and blew the whistle.
雨あめがやんだので傘かさをすぼめた。
The rain stopped, so I closed my umbrella.

Written forms

すぼめるUsage90%
Usually written in kana; the kanji 窄める is rare and may not be recognized by all readers.
窄めるUsage6%
- すぼめる
  Kanji form is uncommon; the reading つぼめる is also possible but rare.
- つぼめる
つぼめるUsage4%

Kanji

窄narrow, fold, furl

Similar words

すぼまる
Intransitive counterpart: 'to become narrower', 'to close up'. すぼめる is transitive (someone narrows something), while すぼまる is intransitive (something narrows by itself).
狭せばめる
Also means 'to narrow', but more general and abstract (e.g., narrowing a gap or range). すぼめる is more concrete and often used for drawing together the ends of something.

Etymology

Derived from the adjective すぼい (narrow, tapered) with the verbalizing suffix める, indicating a transitive action. The kanji 窄 carries the meaning 'narrow' or 'tight'.