cabrão
What does “cabrão” mean in English?
It’s a strong insult similar to calling someone a bastard. Literally, it means 'male goat,' but that’s not how it’s used in conversation.
Literally “male goat”
You’d hear it as a direct insult, often in Portugal. While it can be quite harsh, among close friends it might be used jokingly.
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Related Portuguese words
vai-te foder
4/5 · StrongIt means 'go fuck yourself' and is a strong way to dismiss someone. It's a direct insult that conveys significant disdain.
vai tomar no cu
5/5 · ExtremeThis is a strong way to dismiss someone, telling them to go fuck themselves. It has a sexually degrading tone, implying a harsh insult.
cuzão
4/5 · StrongIt's a vulgar insult for someone who is an asshole or a nasty person. Literally, it translates to 'large anus.'
foda-se
4/5 · StrongIt's a strong dismissal or exclamation, similar to saying 'fuck it.'
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via LDNOOBW, FlacSy/BadWords (CC-BY-4.0, MIT AND CC-BY-4.0). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.