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botar

bo-TAR/boˈtaɾ/

to throw away

Also: to dump, to waste
VerbA1regular ar
Latin America
A person dropping a crumpled piece of paper into a green trash can.
gerundbotando
past Participlebotado
infinitivebotar

📝 In Action

Por favor, bota la basura en el contenedor.

A1

Please throw the trash in the bin.

No botes esa ropa, todavía está buena.

A2

Don't throw those clothes away, they are still good.

Estás botando el dinero en cosas que no necesitas.

B1

You are wasting (throwing away) money on things you don't need.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • botar la basura – to take out/throw away the trash
  • botar comida – to waste/throw away food

Idioms & Expressions

  • botar la casa por la ventana – to spare no expense / throw a lavish party

to bounce

Also: to jump
VerbA2regular ar
A bright orange basketball hitting the floor and leaping back up into the air.
gerundbotando
past Participlebotado
infinitivebotar

📝 In Action

La pelota bota muy alto.

A2

The ball bounces very high.

Tienes que botar el balón mientras corres.

B1

You have to dribble (bounce) the ball while you run.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • botar la pelota – to bounce the ball

to fire

Also: to kick out
VerbB1regular arinformal
Latin America
An empty office desk with a cardboard box full of personal items like a plant and a mug.
gerundbotando
past Participlebotado
infinitivebotar

📝 In Action

Lo botaron del trabajo por llegar tarde.

B1

They fired him from work for being late.

Si sigues haciendo ruido, te van a botar de la biblioteca.

B2

If you keep making noise, they are going to kick you out of the library.

Word Connections

Synonyms

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesbotaran
yobotara
túbotaras
vosotrosbotarais
nosotrosbotáramos
él/ella/ustedbotara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesboten
yobote
túbotes
vosotrosbotéis
nosotrosbotemos
él/ella/ustedbote

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesbotaron
yoboté
túbotaste
vosotrosbotasteis
nosotrosbotamos
él/ella/ustedbotó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesbotaban
yobotaba
túbotabas
vosotrosbotabais
nosotrosbotábamos
él/ella/ustedbotaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesbotan
yoboto
túbotas
vosotrosbotáis
nosotrosbotamos
él/ella/ustedbota
View All Tenses & Moods →

🔀 Commonly Confused With

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "botar" in Spanish:

to bounce→to dump→to fire→to jump→to waste→

🗣️ Practice in a Tongue Twister

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: botar

Question 1 of 3

If you are in Mexico and someone says 'Bota la basura,' what should you do?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
botadero(garbage dump) — Noun
rebote(rebound) — Noun
botador(something that ejects or throws) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Likely from a Germanic root (Frankish *bottan) meaning 'to strike' or 'to push', which led to the idea of pushing something away or off.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

French: bouterEnglish: butt (as in to strike with the head)

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'botar' and 'tirar'?

They often mean the same thing (to throw). 'Tirar' is more common in Spain, while 'botar' is the preferred word in Latin America for discarding trash.

Does 'botar' always mean 'to bounce'?

No. While it means 'to bounce' everywhere, in Latin America its most frequent meaning is 'to throw away'.

How do I say 'to fire someone' formally?

Instead of 'botar', use the verb 'despedir'.