What does matar in Spanish mean?

What is the meaning of the word matar in Spanish? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use matar in Spanish.

The word matar in Spanish means kill, kill, destroy, extinguish, tide you over, kill, torture, kill, be amazed, be astounded, kill yourself, commit suicide, be killed, bust a gut, be at loggerheads, be at daggers drawn with, scare to death, frighten to death, kill two birds with one stone, take the edge off your hunger, kill time, quench your thirst, go for the juglar, shoot down. To learn more, please see the details below.

Listen to pronunciation

Meaning of the word matar

kill

verbo transitivo (quitar la vida)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
El zoólogo está estudiando el comportamiento de algunas especies que matan a sus crías.
The zoologist is studying the behavior of some species that kill their young.

kill, destroy, extinguish

verbo transitivo (destruir) (figurative:emotion)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
La convivencia mata la pasión.
Living together kills passion.

tide you over

verbo transitivo (mitigar, calmar) (hunger: few hours)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Vamos a tomar unos aperitivos para matar el hambre. El agua mata la sed.
We're going to eat a few appetizers to tide us over.

kill, torture

verbo transitivo (figurado (causar dolor) (figurative: discomfort)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Estos tacones me están matando.
These heels are killing (or: torturing) me.

kill

verbo transitivo (pasar el rato) (time)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Estamos matando el tiempo hasta la hora de cenar.
We're killing time until it's dinner time.

be amazed, be astounded

verbo transitivo (figurado (sorprender)

¡Me matas con esa noticia!
I am amazed by that news.

kill yourself, commit suicide

verbo pronominal (suicidarse)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Se mató de un tiro en la cabeza.
He killed himself (or: committed suicide) with a gunshot to the head.

be killed

verbo pronominal (informal (morir violentamente)

Muchos se matan por conducir ebrios; es un problema grave. Mi hermano se mató en un accidente de coche.
Many people are killed by drunk driving. It's a serious problem. // My brother was killed in a car accident.

bust a gut

(figurado, coloquial (esforzarse mucho) (colloquial)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Teresa se mata por hacer felices a sus hijos. Me mato a trabajar para pagar la hipoteca.
I'm busting a gut to pay off the mortgage.

be at loggerheads

locución verbal (coloquial (estar enemistados)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Luis y Diana eran muy buenos amigos, pero desde aquel incidente están a matar.

be at daggers drawn with

(coloquial (estar enemistado con alguien)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Estoy a matar con mi prima; si ella va a la fiesta yo no voy.
I'm at daggers drawn with my cousin; I won't go to the party if she does.

scare to death, frighten to death

locución verbal (coloquial, figurado (asustar mucho)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Saltó del armario y casi la mató de un susto.

kill two birds with one stone

locución verbal (lograr 2 cosas de una vez)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Mató dos pájaros de un solo tiro, consiguió un buen esposo y salió de la pobreza.

take the edge off your hunger

locución verbal (coloquial (engañar el hambre)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Me tomé un chicle para matar el gusanillo hasta la hora de comer.
I had some gum to take the edge off my hunger until it was time to eat.

kill time

locución verbal (coloquial (distraerse, divertirse)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Los jóvenes matan el tiempo en el centro comercial.
Youngsters kill time in the mall.

quench your thirst

locución verbal (coloquial (saciarla, apagarla)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
El agua mata la sed.

go for the juglar

locución verbal (coloquial (dar el todo) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Tírense a matar si quieren que sus sueños se hagan realidad.

shoot down

locución verbal (coloquial (atacar de palabra) (figurative)

(phrasal verb, transitive, separable: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning, divisible--for example, "call off" [=cancel], "call the game off," "call off the game.")
Mi suegra me tira con bala cuando hablamos de trabajo.

Let's learn Spanish

So now that you know more about the meaning of matar in Spanish, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in Spanish.

Do you know about Spanish

Spanish (español), also known as Castilla, is a language of the Iberian-Romance group of the Romance languages, and the 4th most common language in the world according to Some sources, while others list it as a 2nd or 3rd most common language. It is the mother tongue of about 352 million people, and is spoken by 417 million people when adding its speakers as a language. sub (estimated in 1999). Spanish and Portuguese have very similar grammar and vocabulary; The number of similar vocabulary of these two languages is up to 89%. Spanish is the primary language of 20 countries around the world. It is estimated that the total number of speakers of Spanish is between 470 and 500 million, making it the second most widely spoken language in the world by number of native speakers.