der  Ausschuss

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈaʊsˌʃʊs/

🗳️ What Exactly is 'der Ausschuss'?

The German word der Ausschuss has two main meanings:

1. A group of people (committee, panel): A smaller group selected from a larger organization (e.g., parliament, association) to perform specific tasks, prepare decisions, or conduct investigations. Example: Der Untersuchungsausschuss legt bald seinen Bericht vor. (The investigative committee will present its report soon.)
2. Products of inferior quality (rejects, waste): Goods or products that are sorted out during production because they do not meet quality standards (have defects, are damaged, etc.). Example: Diese T-Shirts sind Ausschuss und werden günstiger verkauft. (These T-shirts are rejects and are sold cheaper.) ⚠️ Note: This meaning is often used in the plural (die Ausschüsse), but the singular refers to the entirety of the rejected goods.

Although both meanings use the same word and the same article (der), the contexts are completely different.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar in Detail: Der Ausschuss

The noun „Ausschuss“ is masculine.

Declension Singular

Declension Plural

💡 Example Sentences

• Meaning 1 (Committee): Der Haushaltsausschuss tagt heute Nachmittag. (The budget committee is meeting this afternoon.)
• Meaning 1 (Committee): Die Mitglieder des Ausschusses wurden neu gewählt. (The members of the committee were newly elected.)
• Meaning 2 (Rejects): Bei der Qualitätskontrolle fällt viel Ausschuss an. (A lot of rejects occur during quality control.)
• Meaning 2 (Rejects): Der Ausschuss wird recycelt oder entsorgt. (The rejects are recycled or disposed of.)

🌐 How to Use 'Ausschuss'?

The use of der Ausschuss strongly depends on its meaning:

• As a committee/panel: Very common in political, administrative, and business contexts. People talk about Fachausschüsse (expert committees), Untersuchungsausschüsse (investigative committees), Betriebsausschüsse (works committees), etc. It refers to the collaboration of experts or representatives to handle specific topics.
• As reject goods: Primarily used in production, quality management, and trade. It describes the sorted-out, faulty products. Sometimes it's also used slightly pejoratively for things of poor quality, even if they don't directly come from production.

Risk of confusion? The word sounds similar to „Anschluss“, which means 'connection' or 'joining'. However, the context usually makes the difference clear.

🧠 Mnemonics for 'der Ausschuss'

For the article 'der': Imagine DER boss (masculine) leads the most important Ausschuss (committee) of the company. Or: DER pile of scrap (der Ausschuss = rejects) is huge.

For the meanings: Think of the German verb "ausscheiden" (to separate, eliminate, retire). An Ausschuss (committee) is a group that is 'separated'/selected from a larger crowd for a task. Ausschuss (rejects) are the items that are 'separated'/sorted out from the good production.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Similar Words

• Ausschluss: Means 'exclusion' or 'disqualification'. Der Ausschluss aus dem Verein war eine harte Maßnahme. (The exclusion from the club was a harsh measure.) Not to be confused with Ausschuss (committee/rejects).
• Abschuss: Can mean 'launch' (of a rocket) or 'shooting down' (of a plane/animal). Sounds somewhat similar, but has a completely different meaning.

😄 A Little Joke

Warum dauert die Entscheidung im Ausschuss immer so lange?
Weil sie erst einen Unterausschuss gründen müssen, um zu entscheiden, wann der Hauptausschuss das nächste Mal tagen soll!

(Why does the decision in the committee always take so long?
Because they first have to form a subcommittee to decide when the main committee should meet next!)

✍️ Poem about 'der Ausschuss'

Der Ausschuss tagt, die Köpfe rauchen,
um wichtige Beschlüsse aufzutauchen.
Doch nebenan, da liegt ein Haufen,
die Ware, die als Ausschuss sie verkaufen.
So trägt das Wort zwei Sinn' in sich,
mal Gremium klug, mal Plunder schändlich.

(The committee meets, heads are smoking,
To bring important decisions up.
But next door, there lies a heap,
The goods they sell as rejects cheap.
Thus the word carries two meanings within,
Sometimes a wise panel, sometimes shameful junk.)

❓ Little Riddle

Ich kann eine Gruppe von Experten sein,
die prüft und forscht, mal groß, mal klein.
Doch bin ich auch, was übrig bleibt,
wenn Qualität die Norm vertreibt.

Was bin ich?

(I can be a group of experts,
Who check and research, sometimes large, sometimes small.
But I am also what remains,
When quality drives out the norm.

What am I?)

Solution: der Ausschuss

🧩 Further Information

Word Formation (Wortbildung): The word „Ausschuss“ derives from the verb „ausscheiden“ (to separate, eliminate, select, retire). It describes the result of separating or selecting.

• Meaning 1 (Committee): A group is ausgeschieden (selected) from a larger group for a task.
• Meaning 2 (Rejects): Faulty items are ausgeschieden (sorted out) from production.

In a political context (im politischen Kontext), there are many different types of committees, e.g., ständige Ausschüsse (standing committees), Sonderausschüsse (special committees), or Untersuchungsausschüsse (investigative committees), each with specific tasks and powers.