Spanish word

desembocar

Pronunciation

IPA/desemboˈkaɾ/

Meaning

  • verbflow into

Example

El río desemboca en el mar.

The river flows into the sea.

Illustration for desembocar (flow into)

More examples

El canal desemboca en el puerto cercano.

The canal flows into the nearby port.

Core concept

A river or canal emptying into another watercourse or the sea.

Common phrases

  • desembocar en

    flow into

  • desembocar en el lago

    flow into the lake

  • desembocar en el puerto

    flow into the port

Similar words

entrar: Goes into the inside of a place or enclosed area.
llegar: Reaches a particular spot or intended destination.
desaguar: Channels water out toward a river, lake, or sea.
confluir: Joins together when independent streams meet at one place.

Definition in Spanish

Dicho de un río, canal o vía: llegar y vaciarse en otro curso de agua o en el mar; por extensión, alcanzar un punto o resultado.

Word origin

From Spanish des- 'out' plus embocar, with embocar from en 'in' + boca 'mouth', so the word evokes moving out to a mouth and emptying there.

Usage tips

  • Desembocar normally appears as desembocar en to mark the outlet, applies to rivers, streets, and figurative results, and is not used for simply pouring a drink into a cup.

Other meanings

  • pour intoverb
  • reachverb

Word lists with this word