verter
verbCEFR B2
What does “verter” mean in English?
1.to dump, to discharge
to dump, to discharge (to release waste or pollutants; verter residuos / sustancias contaminantes)
2.to pour, to spill
to pour, to spill (to release substances from a container; verter críticas — figurative: to pour out criticism)
3.pour, discharge — to cause liquid to flow; 'verter residuos tóxicos'; figurative: 'verter lágrimas/opiniones'; irregular: vierto
Example sentences
La empresa fue multada por verter residuos químicos en el río sin haber obtenido la autorización correspondiente.
The company was fined for discharging chemical waste into the river without having obtained the relevant authorisation.
El accidente de la plataforma petrolífera vertió miles de toneladas de crudo al mar.
The oil platform accident discharged thousands of tonnes of crude oil into the sea.
Las autoridades investigan si la industria local vierte efluentes contaminantes al acuífero subterráneo.
Authorities are investigating whether local industry is discharging polluting effluents into the underground aquifer.
How to use it
Verter in the environmental sense means 'to dump', 'to discharge', or 'to pour out' — releasing waste, pollutants, or chemicals into a natural environment. Frame: verter residuos / sustancias en el río / en el mar. More formal and technical than tirar (throw away informally). The noun el vertido (spillage, discharge) is equally common in environmental journalism.
Common mistake
Verter takes en or al for the location: verter en el río / al mar. Verter vs. tirar: tirar is casual dumping (litter, rubbish); verter is formal/technical (industrial discharge). El vertido (spillage) and la contaminación por vertidos are high-frequency collocations in environmental journalism.