Skip to content

despegar

to take off

verb des-peh-GAHR Rare
Travel & Places Transportation

Also means

to unstick, to peel off

Usage Note

Despegar covers both literal flight ('the plane takes off') and peeling something apart ('unstick a label'). The reflexive despegarse means to become unstuck or, figuratively, to detach emotionally from someone. Despegue (m) is the noun ('takeoff'), a useful companion word for learners.

Examples

"El avión despegó a las ocho en punto."

Natural Translation

The plane took off at eight o'clock sharp.

Explore Spanish by topic