arribar
arrive
Definition & meaning
Arribar is a formal or literary Spanish verb meaning “to arrive,” “to reach,” or “to come ashore.” It is especially associated with ships, boats, and coastal destinations.
-
To arrive at a place, especially by sea
El barco arribó al puerto. — “The ship arrived at the port.” -
To reach a destination, conclusion, or result
Arribaron a un acuerdo. — “They reached an agreement.”
This use is more formal than using llegar .
The verb commonly appears with the preposition a : arribar a [?](vocabuo://word/arribar%20a], meaning “to arrive at” or “to reach.”
Grammar & Word origin
- Part of speech: verb
- Conjugation: regular -ar verb
- Present tense: yo arribo, tú arribas, él/ella arriba
- Past participle: arribado
- Gerund: arribando
- Typical construction: arribar a + destination or result
The word is historically connected with riba , meaning “riverbank” or “shore,” and originally referred to reaching the shore. It is related to the Latin expression ad ripam, meaning “to the bank” or “to the shore.”
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- llegar — the standard, neutral word for “to arrive”; it is much more common in everyday speech.
- alcanzar — “to reach” or “to attain”; it emphasizes successfully reaching a place, goal, or result.
- desembarcar — “to disembark” or “to come ashore”; it specifically describes leaving a ship or boat.
- atracar — “to dock”; it refers to a boat reaching and stopping at a dock, rather than simply arriving.
Arribar is more formal, literary, or nautical than llegar .
Antonyms
- partir — “to depart” or “to leave”; it is the general opposite of arriving.
- salir — “to leave” or “to go out”; it emphasizes moving away from a place.
- zarpar — “to set sail”; it is the specifically nautical opposite of arriving by sea.
- alejarse — “to move away” or “to distance oneself”; it emphasizes increasing distance from a place.
Common phrases & collocations
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Examples
El barco va a arribar al puerto mañana por la mañana.verb
The ship is going to arrive at the port tomorrow morning.
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