Spanish word

escarbar

Pronunciation

IPA/eskaɾˈβaɾ/

Meaning

  • verbdig

Example

Estoy escarbando para plantar flores.

I am digging to plant flowers.

Illustration for escarbar (dig)

More examples

¿Quién está escarbando entre la basura?

Who is rummaging through the trash?

Core concept

A hand scraping soil to uncover something.

Common phrases

  • escarbar entre la basura

    rummage through the trash

  • escarbar en los bolsillos

    rummage in pockets

  • escarbar el suelo

    dig the ground

Similar words

hurgar: Fingers through material, poking and prodding to locate tiny or hidden things.
revolver: Stirs and sifts through what's inside a container to check or find objects.
rascar: Runs a rough edge over a surface to scrape off grime or make a shallow mark.
cavar: Excavates earth to form a hole or channel, usually requiring sustained digging.

Definition in Spanish

Hacer hoyos o rascar superficialmente la tierra, arena u otra materia con la mano o una herramienta para sacar o buscar algo; también emplearse para buscar minuciosamente en objetos, archivos o.

Word origin

From Late Latin excarbare, from ex- 'out' plus a root meaning 'scrape' or 'peel', originally 'to strip off' and later used for scraping or searching in earth and objects.

Usage tips

  • Commonly used for light, surface digging or rummaging (potting, checking pockets), while excavar denotes deep excavation and buscar covers general searching.

Other meanings

  • pick atverb
  • rummageverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word