Light-verb construction 'in Abrede stellen' (to deny)

in Abrede stellen is a light-verb construction (Funktionsverbgefüge) of officialese meaning to deny / dispute. The meaning lives in the noun Abrede (from older Abrede = denial), while stellen is a semantically bleached carrier verb. The thing denied stands in the accusative:

• Er stellt die Vorwürfe in Abrede. - He denies the accusations.
• Der Beschuldigte stellte sämtliche Vorwürfe in Abrede und schwieg fortan. - The accused denied all the charges and remained silent thereafter.
• Die Firma stellt jede Verantwortung in Abrede. - The company disputes all responsibility.

It is plain officialese (Amts- und Rechtssprache); the everyday equivalent is simply bestreiten or leugnen.

Common mistakes:

• Choosing the wrong verb: it is in Abrede stellen*, not machen or setzen*.
• Inflecting Abrede (no article, no plural here) - it is a fixed nominal core.
• Using it in casual contexts where bestreiten is far more natural; reserve it for formal or legal writing.

'in Abrede stellen' = to deny / dispute (officialese).

Officialese 'to deny/dispute'; a fixed noun + verb combination.

'in Abrede stellen' = bestreiten, leugnen (Amtssprache).