darle un matamoscazo
/daɾle un matamoskaθo/from spelling rules
The English verb swat can be translated into Spanish as darle un matamoscazo. If unsure, use darle un matamoscazo. Wiktionary also lists diñarle un periodicazo and pegarle un raquetazo.
Meaning: to beat off, as insects, to bat, strike, or hit (verb)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| darle un matamoscazo | /daɾle un matamoskaθo/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /daɾle un matamoskaso/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
| diñarle un periodicazo | /diɲaɾle un peɾjodikaθo/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /diɲaɾle un peɾjodikaso/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
| pegarle un raquetazo | /peɡaɾle un ɾaketaθo/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /peɡaɾle un ɾaketaso/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
These phrases are used to describe the action of beating off insects or striking/hitting something with a specific object.
What does it mean word for word?
The term matamoscazo is a compound meaning a fly-killing blow, combining mata (kills), mosca (fly) and the suffix -azo (a heavy blow). Similarly, raquetazo means a strike with a racket, combining raqueta (racket) and the suffix -azo (a heavy blow). The suffix -azo is added to nouns to indicate a forceful or heavy hit with that specific object.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase darle un matamoscazo, the pronoun le refers to the object being swatted, such as a fly.
How do you pronounce it?
/daɾle un matamoskaθo/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the suffix -azo can also be used to describe something unexpectedly large. A perrazo is not a hit with a dog, but a very large dog.
- A periodicazo can be used metaphorically to describe a shocking piece of news or a 'blow' delivered by a newspaper headline.
- Spanish allows the creation of 'swat' words for objects that don't exist as tools, such as bananazo for a hit with a banana.
Examples in context
- Mi abuela tuvo que darle un manotazo a la mosca para que dejara de molestarla.My grandmother had to swat the fly to make it stop bothering her.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “swat” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
