Also means
to soil, to make a mess
Usage Note
Ensuciar is the standard verb for making something dirty or soiled, and its reflexive form ensuciarse means 'to get dirty'. It pairs naturally with manchar (to stain), but ensuciar implies general dirtiness while manchar focuses on a specific stain. The opposite is limpiar (to clean).
Examples
"Los niños ensuciaron el piso con barro."
Natural Translation
The kids dirtied the floor with mud.

Free starter pack
Building your Spanish vocabulary?
Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.
Related Words
Explore Spanish by topic