höhere Gewalt

Literally: “higher power” or “higher force”. Compare French force majeure and similar forms in other languages.

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höhere Gewalt f (genitive höherer Gewalt or höheren Gewalt, no plural)

1. Used other than as an idiom, compare hoch, Gewalt.
2. (law) force majeure; act of God (an event for which someone cannot be held responsible because it was out of their capacity to influence or foresee it)

   Bei Streik wird einem seine Zugfahrkarte nicht erstattet, da das höhere Gewalt ist.

   In case of a strike, you’re not reimbursed for your train ticket, because that’s force majeure.

• The plural must be paraphrased as Fälle höherer Gewalt, or the like.
• As with all law terms, there may be subtle but important differences between jurisdictions.