Skip to content

acatar

to comply with

verb ah-kah-TAHR Rare

Also means

to accept

Usage Note

Acatar means to accept and comply with an authority, rule, or decision — acatar la ley, acatar una sentencia. It implies respectful submission rather than enthusiastic agreement; you acatas even when you disagree. It is more formal than obedecer (to obey) and always takes a legal, institutional, or hierarchical object.

Examples

"Todos deben acatar las normas del reglamento."

Natural Translation

Everyone must comply with the rules of the regulation.

Free starter pack

Building your Spanish vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Spanish by topic