English–Spanish

“mess with” in Spanish

Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA/toketeˈaɾ/

Example

No toquetees mi mochila.

Don't mess with my backpack.

Illustration for toquetear (mess with)

How to say “mess with” in Spanish

“Mess with” in Spanish is toquetear.

Repeated light handling of an object with the fingers.

Full entry for toquetear: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with toquetear

En las reuniones, él suele toquetear los bolígrafos cuando se aburre.

In meetings, he usually messes with the pens when he gets bored.

Tips for using toquetear

  • Unlike tocar, which simply means to touch, toquetear implies meddling or tinkering and therefore often sounds more intrusive than the English 'to touch' would.

“mess with” in other languages