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"Screw" is a noun which is often translated as "el tornillo", and "bolt" is a noun which is often translated as "el perno". Learn more about the difference between "screw" and "bolt" below.
screw(
skru
)A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
1. (hardware)
a. el tornillo (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
Should I use nails or screws for the framing?¿Debo usar clavos o tornillos para el marco?
2. (twist)
3. (propeller)
a. la hélice (F)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
The screw of the submarine stopped turning to avoid being detected by enemy radars.La hélice del submarino dejó de girar para evitar ser descubierto por los radares enemigos.
a. la cogida (F) (vulgar) (Latin America)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
A word or phrase that is crude, indecent, and generally rejected by society.
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
It's not love. She just wants a screw.No es amor. Solo busca una cogida.
b. el polvo (M) (vulgar)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
A word or phrase that is crude, indecent, and generally rejected by society.
He's not looking for love; he's just looking for a screw.No está buscando amor; solo está buscando un polvo.
c. el palo (M) (vulgar) (Central America) (Mexico)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
A word or phrase that is crude, indecent, and generally rejected by society.
Regionalism used in Central America: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama
Regionalism used in Mexico
He just wants a screw.Solo quiere echarse un palo.
5. (slang) (prison officer)
A very informal word or phrase used by a particular group or community as a substitute for standard language (e.g., joint, john).
a. el carcelero (M), la carcelera (F)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
The inmates communicate with code words so the screws won't understand them.Los presos se comunican con palabras en clave para que los carceleros no los entiendan.
b. el guardia (M), la guardia (F)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
He was sent to the hole for a week for attacking a screw.Lo mandaron al hoyo una semana por atacar a un guardia.
A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. atornillar
Screw the side panels to the wooden base.Atornilla los paneles laterales a la base de madera.
7. (to twist)
a. enroscar
I can't open the jar because you screwed the lid tightly.No puedo abrir el frasco porque enroscaste la tapa muy fuerte.
8. (vulgar) (to have sexual intercourse)
A word or phrase that is crude, indecent, and generally rejected by society.
a. coger (vulgar) (Latin America)
A word or phrase that is crude, indecent, and generally rejected by society.
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
He boasted proudly that he only screws supermodels.Se jactaba con orgullo de que solamente coge supermodelos.
9. (colloquial) (to defraud)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. timar
The salesperson screwed me and sold me fake shades.El vendedor me timó y me vendió gafas de sol falsas.
10. (colloquial) (to extort)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. sacar
She divorced him and screwed half of his fortune.Se divorció y le sacó la mitad de su fortuna.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
11. (vulgar) (to have sexual intercourse)
A word or phrase that is crude, indecent, and generally rejected by society.
a. coger (vulgar) (Latin America)
A word or phrase that is crude, indecent, and generally rejected by society.
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
We were screwing in his room when his mother came in.Estábamos cogiendo en su habitación cuando entró su madre.
d. echar un polvo (vulgar)
A word or phrase that is crude, indecent, and generally rejected by society.
I haven't screwed for the two weeks since Lent started.Hace dos semanas desde el principio de la Cuaresma que no he echado un polvo.
12. (to rotate)
a. atornillarse
If the base doesn't screw all the way in, you will have to push it in.Si la base no se atornilla hasta el fondo, tendrás que meterla a la fuerza.
bolt(
bolt
)A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
1. (hardware)
a. el perno (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
The hardware factory specializes in making screws, nuts, and bolts.La fábrica de ferretería se especializa en hacer tornillos, tuercas y pernos.
b. el tornillo (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
I had to tighten the nuts around the bolts to fix the shaky table.Tuve que apretar las tuercas de los tornillos para arreglar la mesa que se tambaleaba.
a. el cerrojo (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
Put the bolt on the door before you go to bed.Echa el cerrojo de la puerta antes de acostarte.
b. el pestillo (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
An intruder could have gotten in because you left the bolt open.Un intruso habría podido entrar porque dejaste el pestillo abierto.
c. el pasador (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
The bolt on the door to our apartment makes us feel safer at night.El pasador de la puerta de nuestro apartamento nos hace sentir más seguros de noche.
a. el rollo (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
We bought two bolts of cloth to make curtains for the living room.Compramos dos rollos de tela para hacer cortinas para la sala.
4. (arrow)
A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
b. sujetar con pernos
He bolted the television to the wall so that nobody could steal it.Sujetó su televisión con pernos a la pared para que nadie se la robara.
6. (to lock)
a. echar el cerrojo
To prepare for the hurricane, we locked and bolted the windows.Para prepararnos para el huracán, cerramos las ventanas y echamos los cerrojos.
b. echar el pestillo
Bolt the door so that nobody else can get in.Echa el pestillo de la puerta para que nadie más pueda entrar.
a. engullir
Don't bolt your food like that or you'll choke.No engullas tu comida así o te atragantarás.
b. tragar (Latin America)
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
You'd get indigestion a lot less often if you didn't bolt your food like that.Sufrirías de indigestión menos a menudo si no tragaras la comida así.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
a. echar a correr
The police are on the way. Let's bolt!La policía está en camino. ¡Echemos a correr!
b. salir corriendo
I bolted for the door when I saw my ex-wife enter the party.Salí corriendo hacia la puerta cuando vi a mi exmujer aparecer en la fiesta.
c. desbocarse (horse)
The horse bolted when it heard gunshots at the rodeo.El caballo se desbocó cuando oyó disparos en el rodeo.
d. salir huyendo
The rabbit bolted out of its burrow when a predator approached.El conejo salió huyendo de su madriguera cuando un depredeador se acercó.
9. (botany)
a. producir flores (prematurely)
If you snip the buds, the basil will stop bolting and we'll be able to eat it later.Si cortas los brotes, la albahaca dejará de producir flores y podremos comerla después.
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
The coach was unhappy here and finally bolted to another team.El entrenador no estaba satisfecho aquí y terminó yéndose a otro equipo.
When the senator realized that his morals no longer aligned with those of his colleagues, he bolted.Cuando el senador se dio cuenta de que sus principios morales ya no coincidían con los de sus colegas, abandonó el partido.
