Skip to content

coartada

alibi

noun koh-ahr-TAH-dah Rare

Usage Note

Coartada derives from coartar (to limit, to restrict), reflecting the idea that a proven alibi 'limits' the prosecution's case. It is used both in legal contexts (presentó una coartada sólida) and figuratively for any convenient excuse (esa reunión le sirve de coartada).

Examples

"El sospechoso tenía una coartada perfecta."

Natural Translation

The suspect had a perfect alibi.

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