tirar

Tirar is a verb used in Spanish and Portuguese with a broad range of meanings. It derives from Latin tirare and is cognate with related Romance verbs meaning to pull or draw. Its senses extend from physical actions to figurative uses in everyday speech.

In Spanish, tirar mainly means to throw or to pull. It also covers removing or discarding, as in tirar la basura, and can express withdrawal or abandonment in expressions like tirar de un proyecto or tirar la toalla (to give up). With weapons, tirar can mean to shoot, though disparar remains common. In spatial or mechanical contexts, tirar describes pulling or tugging, as in tirar de una cuerda or tirar de una palanca.

In Portuguese, tirar covers removing or taking off, taking out money, and taking a photo (tirar uma foto). It also extends to taking vacation (tirar férias) and taking advantage (tirar proveito, tirar vantagem) of a situation. Other common uses include tirar água (to draw or extract water) and tirar uma conclusão (to draw a conclusion). Colloquial forms include tirar sarro (to mock) and tirar vantagem in varying senses of “to exploit.”

Usage notes: context is essential, since tirar spans physical actions, removal, acquisition, and idiomatic expressions in both languages. While related verbs exist (lanzar, sacar, disparar), tirar remains a highly productive, polysemous verb with frequent appearance across registers.