russare
/rusˈsa.re/
In Italian, snoring is expressed as russare.
The word can refer to the action of making the sound of snoring or the sound itself.
Meaning: action or sound (noun)
Which one should you use?
While russare is the standard verb meaning 'to snore', you can use il russare to refer to the act of snoring as a noun. For the continuous action of snoring, use the gerund russando. If you are looking for a formal noun for the sound itself, use russamento.
How does it change in a sentence?
russare is an intransitive verb, so it does not take a direct object. To express the continuous action of snoring, use the gerund russando.
How do you pronounce it?
russare is pronounced /rusˈsa.re/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The word russare may have its roots in Lombardic, an ancient Germanic language spoken in Italy, and is likely related to the Old Norse word hrjóta.
- In Italian, the word russare is used for both humans and animals, but when describing a cat's purring, Italians use fusa instead of russare.
- The verb russare is often used in the idiom russare come un orso, which means 'to snore like a bear'.
Examples in context
- Tom iniziò a russare.Tom started snoring.This sentence shows how to use the verb russare.Tatoeba #3392490 by Guybrush88, translation #2238714 by CK
- Non smetterà di russare!He won't stop snoring!Tatoeba #11677420 by mugnozzo, translation #11676558 by tieguy
- Disse che sentì qualcuno russare.She said she heard someone snoring.Tatoeba #8985421 by Guybrush88, translation #7396146 by CH
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Martina wakes up next to Lorenzo in the bedroom.
- MartinaLorenzo, smetti di russare!Lorenzo, stop snoring!
- LorenzoScusa, non sapevo di russare.Sorry, I didn't know I was snoring.
- MartinaHai iniziato a russare mezz'ora fa.You started snoring half an hour ago.
- LorenzoOra cercherò di non russare più.Now I will try not to snore anymore.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry russare, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries russare, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
