What does atar in Spanish mean?

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

The word atar in Spanish means tie, constrain, limit, be tied, be towed, be conformed, tie up loose ends, tie up loose ends, tie with wire, keep on a short leash, tie 's hands, tie up 's hands, tie 's hands and feet, bind by the hands and feet, raving lunatic. To learn more, please see the details below.

Listen to pronunciation

Meaning of the word atar

tie

verbo transitivo (sujetar, unir)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Toma una cuerda y ata las manos del ladrón.
Grab a rope and tie the thief's hands together.

constrain, limit

verbo transitivo (figurado (limitar, frenar)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Una promesa puede atar a una persona, impedirle actuar con libertad.
A promise can limit a person as it prevents acting freely.

be tied, be towed, be conformed

verbo pronominal (ceñirse, atenerse)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Subió a la montaña para ser libre y vivir sin atarse a las normas de la sociedad.
He scaled the mountain in order to be free and not be tied up in society norms.

tie up loose ends

locución verbal (relacionar una cosa con otra) (solve)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
La policía fue atando cabos hasta descubrir al ladrón.
ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Juan put two and two together and instantly knew that he had made the wrong decision.

tie up loose ends

locución verbal (finalizar)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Sólo cuando supe sus verdaderas intenciones pude atar cabos sueltos.
ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. I still have to tie up a few loose ends before I go on holiday.

tie with wire

locución verbal (ligar con alambre)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Até con alambre los dos extremos de la cuerda.
I tied the two ends of the rope with wire.

keep on a short leash

locución verbal (coloquial (reprimir, controlar)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Tienes que atar un poco más corto a tu hijo y enseñarle modales.

tie 's hands, tie up 's hands

locución verbal (figurado (impedir actuar) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
La directora me ató de manos y no puedo hacer nada para solucionar el problema.
The director tied my hands and I can't do anything about the problem.

tie 's hands and feet, bind by the hands and feet

locución verbal (figurado: impedir actuar o reaccionar)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
En mi trabajo me ataron de pies y manos y no puedo ni hablar del tema.

raving lunatic

locución nominal con flexión de género (coloquial (muy loco) (informal)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Pablo está loco de atar, es difícil estar con él.
Pablo is a raving lunatic. It's difficult to be near him.

Let's learn Spanish

So now that you know more about the meaning of atar 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.