recaudar
raise
Juntar dinero, cosas o apoyo de varias personas para un fin.
Definition & meaning
Recaudar is a Spanish verb meaning to collect, gather, or raise money, especially through taxes, fees, donations, or fundraising.
It can be used in several related ways:
-
To collect money or payments
- El Estado recauda impuestos. — The state collects taxes.
- La organización recaudó las cuotas de sus miembros. — The organization collected its members’ dues.
-
To raise funds for a purpose
- Recaudaron dinero para construir una escuela. — They raised money to build a school.
- La campaña recaudó miles de euros. — The campaign raised thousands of euros.
-
To collect revenue or proceeds
- La película recaudó mucho dinero en taquilla. — The film made a lot of money at the box office.
It usually refers specifically to money being collected or generated, rather than objects.
Grammar & Word origin
Recaudar is a regular -ar verb.
- Present: recaudo, recaudas, recauda, recaudamos, recaudáis, recaudan
- Past participle: recaudado
- Gerund: recaudando
It is normally used as a transitive verb: recaudar impuestos, recaudar fondos, or recaudar dinero.
Historically, the verb is associated with Hispano-Arabic and Arabic vocabulary related to receiving or collecting. In modern Spanish, it is generally treated as a single verb; the initial re- should not normally be interpreted as the productive prefix meaning “again.”
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- cobrar — to collect or charge a payment. This is broader and is often used for collecting a specific debt, bill, or fee.
- percibir — to receive or collect money, often in formal or administrative contexts.
- reunir — to gather; with money, it emphasizes bringing contributions together rather than officially collecting them.
- obtener — to obtain; it is more general and does not necessarily imply an organized collection.
- juntar — to gather or put together, usually more informal than recaudar.
- financiar — to finance; this describes providing money, not collecting it, so it is not a direct synonym.
Antonyms
There is no single exact antonym in every context. Depending on the meaning, possible opposites include:
- devolver — to return money that has been collected.
- gastar — to spend money rather than collect it.
- desembolsar — to pay out or disburse money.
- perder — to lose money instead of obtaining or raising it.
Common phrases & collocations
- recaudar dinero — to raise or collect money
- recaudar fondos — to raise funds
- recaudar impuestos — to collect taxes
- recaudar donaciones — to collect donations
- recaudar fondos para una causa — to raise funds for a cause
- campaña de recaudación — fundraising campaign
- recaudación de fondos — fundraising
- recaudar en taquilla — to take or gross money at the box office
Make “recaudar” part of your vocabulary.
Build your Spanish vocabulary with flashcards, audio and spaced repetition.
Examples
Vamos a recaudar fondos para la escuela.verb
We are going to raise funds for the school.
Keep exploring Spanish
Learn words from the content you love.
Add words from websites, books and videos, then remember them with spaced repetition (SRS).
Scan for iPhone & iPad