apurar
“apurar” means “to hurry” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to hurry
Also: to rush, to pressure
📝 In Action
Tienes que apurar el paso si quieres llegar a tiempo.
A2You have to speed up your pace if you want to arrive on time.
No me apures, que estoy haciendo algo importante.
B1Don't rush me, I'm doing something important.
El jefe nos apuró para terminar el informe hoy.
B2The boss pressured us to finish the report today.
to drain
Also: to exhaust, to push to the limit
📝 In Action
Apuró su copa de vino antes de salir.
B2He finished his glass of wine to the last drop before leaving.
Hemos apurado todas nuestras opciones legales.
C1We have exhausted all of our legal options.
No apures mi paciencia, por favor.
B2Don't push my patience to the limit, please.
🔄 Conjugations
subjunctive
imperfect
present
indicative
preterite
imperfect
present
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: apurar
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence means 'Don't rush me'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From Latin 'purus' (pure). The original sense was 'to purify' or 'to clear out,' which evolved into finishing something completely and later into hurrying.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'apurar' the same as 'correr'?
Not exactly. 'Correr' means to run physically, while 'apurar' means to increase speed or pressure someone to be faster.
Can 'apuro' mean something other than hurry?
Yes! 'Estar en un apuro' means to be in a tight spot or a difficult situation.
Is it more common in Spain or Mexico?
It is used in both, but Latin Americans use the reflexive 'apurarse' much more frequently in daily conversation.