What does picar in Spanish mean?

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

The word picar in Spanish means sting, bite, sting, get a bite, grab a bite, break, chip, grind, bother, bug, snack, fall for, peck at, itch, be hot, be spicy, itch, corrode, get annoyed, go sour, turn sour, get choppy, shoot up, be moth-eaten, get hooked, get intrigued, goad, poke, prod, use, wear, punch, perforate, peck, aim high, fall for it, take the bait, gut, cutting board. To learn more, please see the details below.

Listen to pronunciation

Meaning of the word picar

sting

verbo intransitivo (insecto: morder) (bee, wasp)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Las abejas pican si se las molesta.
Bees sting if they are bothered.

bite

verbo intransitivo (pez: morder el anzuelo) (fishing)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Los peces pican mucho en este lago.
The fish bite a lot in this lake.

sting

verbo intransitivo (causar urticaria)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Las ortigas pican: lleva pantalones largos.
The nettles sting, so wear long pants.

get a bite, grab a bite

verbo transitivo (comer informalmente) (informal: buy small meal)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Al salir de la oficina vamos a picar algo por ahí.
On leaving the office we'll get (or: grab) a bite somewhere around.

break, chip

verbo transitivo (golpear) (stone, etc.)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Los canteros egipcios picaban la piedra con herramientas de cobre.
Egyptian quarry workers broke (or: chipped) stone with copper tools.

grind

verbo transitivo (triturar) (food, in mill)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Mi madre le pedía al carnicero que picase la carne muy fina.
We asked the butcher to grind the meat very fine.

bother, bug

verbo transitivo (informal (azuzar, molestar)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
No hagas caso de lo que te dice tu hermano: solo quiere picarte.
Don't pay any attention to what he tells you; it's just to bother (or: bug) you.

snack

verbo intransitivo (comer entre horas) (colloquial)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Los niños se pasan la mañana picando y luego no quieren almorzar.
ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Maria snacks between classes.

fall for

(coloquial (caer en engaño)

(phrasal verb, transitive, inseparable: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning, not divisible--for example,"go with" [=combine nicely]: "Those red shoes don't go with my dress." NOT [S]"Those red shoes don't go my dress with."[/S])
El ladrón picó en la trampa de la policía como un tonto.
He fell for the scam like a fool.

peck at

verbo transitivo (comer con pico)

Las palomas picaban las migas de pan.
The pigeons pecked at the bread crumbs.

itch

verbo intransitivo (sentir picor)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Cuando siento ganas de estornudar me pica la nariz.
When I feel like I want to sneeze my nose itches.

be hot, be spicy

verbo intransitivo (tener sabor picante) (taste)

La salsa estaba deliciosa, pero picaba mucho.
The sauce was delicious, but it was very hot (or: spicy).

itch

verbo intransitivo (causar picor)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Este suéter de lana pica y me está enloqueciendo.
This wool sweater itches and it's driving me crazy.

corrode

verbo pronominal (corroerse) (pipe, metal)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Hay que cambiar las tuberías que se picaron.
We have to change the pipes because they corroded.

get annoyed

verbo pronominal (ES, coloquial (enfadarse)

Se picaron por una tontería.
They got annoyed over nothing.

go sour, turn sour

verbo pronominal (ES, AR (estropearse: una bebida) (UK)

Qué mal sabe este vino, debe haberse picado.
This wine tastes really bad; it must have gone sour (or: turned sour).

get choppy

verbo pronominal (haber marejada) (sea)

Si el mar empieza a picarse, es mejor regresar a puerto.
If the sea gets choppy, we'd better return to port.

shoot up

verbo pronominal (inyectarse droga) (colloquial)

(phrasal verb, intransitive: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning and not taking direct object--for example, "make up" [=reconcile]: "After they fought, they made up.")
Dice que lo hará, pero nunca dejará de picarse.
He says he'll stop, but he's never going to stop shooting up.

be moth-eaten

verbo pronominal (ropa: apolillarse)

Las pieles se picaron porque las dejé guardadas demasiado tiempo.
The hides were moth-eaten because I left them in storage too long.

get hooked, get intrigued

verbo pronominal (MX, coloquial (interesarse)

Me piqué con el libro, no pude soltarlo hasta que lo terminé de leer.
I got hooked on the book; I couldn't put it down until I finished it.

goad, poke, prod

verbo intransitivo (pinchar toros) (bullfighting, bull)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
El picador picó muy mal.
The picador poked the bull very badly.

use, wear

verbo transitivo (espolear) (horse riding: spurs)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
El jockey picó espuelas.
The jockey used (or: wore) spurs.

punch, perforate

verbo transitivo (agujerear)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Pica la cartulina por los bordes.
Punch (or: perforate) the card around the edges.

peck

verbo transitivo (ave: morder)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Los gansos picaron a la niña porque se acercó mucho a ellos.
The geese pecked the little girl because she got too close to them.

aim high

locución verbal (tener pretensiones)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Juan pica alto, pretende a la hija de su jefe.

fall for it, take the bait

locución verbal (coloquial (caer en la trampa)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
El estafador los tentó con una gran suma y picaron el anzuelo.

gut

locución verbal (al hacer embutidos)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Para hacer chorizo, pican la tripa para sacarle todo el aire.

cutting board

nombre femenino (para cortar comida)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
En la cocina no puede faltar una tabla de picar.
No kitchen is complete without a cutting board.

Let's learn Spanish

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