French Conversation · Level 63
76 words
French word
cabrer
Pronunciation
IPA/kabʁe/
Meaning
- verbrear
Example
Le cheval s'est cabré soudain.
The horse suddenly reared.
More examples
Il s'est cabré contre les ordres.
He defied the orders.
Core concept
An animal rears sharply against control, capturing both a horse's sudden movement and a person's strong recoil from an imposed demand.
Common phrases
se cabrer contre
defy
se cabrer d'un coup
rear up all at once
Similar words
se dresser: To raise the body into an upright stance.
sauter: To jump up vigorously.
se lever: To stand up from the ground or while seated.
Definition in French
se cabrer (pronominal) Se cabrer contre qn/qch : manifester une forte résistance ou une opposition, par analogie avec le mouvement d'un animal.
Word origin
Cabrer developed from the Old French animal term cabre, itself from Latin capra, as a physical action became a figurative expression of opposition.
Usage tips
- Cabrer without se can be transitive in the sense of making a horse rear, while se cabrer describes the horse or person performing the action.
Other meanings
- rebelverb
- pitch upverb
Opposites
- obéirobeyverb
- se soumettreyieldverb
Related words
- cabréupright on its hind legsadjective