← Back to Fala2Me

abalar

[ɐ.bɐ.ˈlaɾ]
verb
to shake; to move; to unsettle
1. to shake or cause to vibrate; to move from one place to another
The earthquake shook the buildings.
O terremoto abalou os edifícios.
2. to disturb emotionally; to unsettle or distress someone
The news shook him deeply.
A notícia o abalou profundamente.
3. to weaken or compromise something
The scandal shook public confidence.
O escândalo abalou a confiança pública.
4. to set in motion; to set off or leave
They set off on their journey.
Eles abalaram em sua jornada.
Synonyms
abateragitarcomoçãodesestabilizarperturbartremor
Antonyms
acalmarestabilizarsossegar

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
abalar
widely used across all meanings
São Paulo
abalar
standard usage
Rio de Janeiro
abalar
standard usage
Portugal
abalar
standard usage; also used in the sense of 'to leave hastily'

Related Idioms & Phrases

abalar o barco
abalar a estrutura
abalar as convicções
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →