Spanish Conversation · Level 105
60 words
Spanish word
toquetear
Pronunciation
IPA/toketeˈaɾ/
Meaning
- verbmess with
Example
No toquetees mi mochila.
Don't mess with my backpack.
More examples
En las reuniones, él suele toquetear los bolígrafos cuando se aburre.
In meetings, he usually messes with the pens when he gets bored.
Core concept
Repeated light handling of an object with the fingers.
Common phrases
toquetear el móvil
mess with the phone
toquetear los botones
play with the buttons
toquetear la cerradura
tamper with the lock
Similar words
tocar: Makes contact with an object using the hand or fingers to sense texture or location.
juguetear: Fidgets with an object in a playful way, lightly moving it without serious purpose.
hurgar: Roots around with the fingertips inside crevices or openings to find or examine something.
manipular: Intentionally manipulates an object with hands or instruments to achieve a specific result.
Definition in Spanish
Manipular o trastear con las manos objetos por curiosidad o sin autorización, habitualmente de forma ligera y repetida.
Word origin
Built from tocar (Latin tocāre) plus the verb-forming/frequentative ending -etear, giving the nuance of touching or tweaking something again and again.
Usage tips
- Unlike tocar, which simply means to touch, toquetear implies meddling or tinkering and therefore often sounds more intrusive than the English 'to touch' would.
Other meanings
- fiddle withverb
Opposites
- respetarrespectverb
Related words
- toqueteomessing aroundnoun
- toqueteadomessed withadjective