blanquear

to whiten

verb blan-keh-AHR Rare

Also means

to launder (money)

Usage Note

Blanquear covers both literal whitening (blanquear una pared = to whitewash a wall) and the figurative sense of money laundering (blanquear dinero), which is the dominant meaning in news and legal contexts. The noun for money laundering is blanqueo de capitales. In Spain blanquear can also mean to bleach fabric.

Examples

"Lo acusaron de blanquear dinero en el extranjero."

Natural Translation

He was accused of laundering money abroad.

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