Spanish word

carrera

Pronunciation

IPA/kaˈreɾa/

Meaning

  • feminine nounrace

Example

¿Quién ganó la carrera?

Who won the race?

Illustration for carrera (race)

More examples

Miles de personas participaron en la carrera popular.

Thousands of people took part in the fun run.

Core concept

Competitors neck and neck approaching the tape at the finish line.

Common phrases

  • carrera popular

    fun run

  • carrera de bicicletas

    bike race

Similar words

competición: Sporting event or series of events organized to decide champions or positions.
prueba: Specific discipline or event within a meet that counts as one competition.
maratón: Very long-distance running race, typically on roads, that measures endurance.

Definition in Spanish

Competición en la que varias personas, animales o vehículos intentan llegar antes que los demás a una meta; por extensión, recorrido o prueba de velocidad.

Word origin

From Latin carrus 'wagon' via medieval carraria 'road', carrera denotes a course or way and is used for events where participants compete to reach an end.

Usage tips

  • When referring to work or study, Spanish commonly uses phrases like hacer carrera or estudiar una carrera, while carrera with ganar or perder typically refers to an athletic or vehicular race.

Other meanings

  • careernoun
  • majornoun

Word lists with this word