pestare

to crush, to stamp on

verb pes-TAH-reh Rare

Also means

to beat up

Usage Note

Pestare means to crush or pound (as in grinding spices — pestare l'aglio, crush the garlic) and colloquially to beat someone up. Pestare i piedi a qualcuno ('to step on someone's feet') is an idiom meaning to get in someone's way or to offend them. Uses avere as auxiliary.

Examples

"Ha pestato i piedi per sbaglio."

Natural Translation

He accidentally stepped on her feet.

Related Words

Explore Italian by topic

ItalianNow

Italian Present Tense: -are, -ere, -ire Verbs

Conjugate Italian present-tense verbs fast: one color-coded chart for -are, -ere, and -ire endings, plus the sneaky -isc- group most guides bury.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Prepositions: A, In, Di, Da, Su Made Simple

Cities take a, countries take in, origin is di, agents are da. Master the five Italian prepositions a, in, di, da, su and their contractions fast.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Noun Gender: Rules, Endings & Exceptions

Italian noun gender decoded: -o is usually masculine, -a feminine, but -zione and -tà are feminine, -ore and -ma masculine. Plus the trap words to memorize.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Diminutives: -ino, -etto, -one Explained

Italian diminutives like -ino, -etto, and -one signal size, affection, or contempt. Learn to read the feeling, dodge gender flips, and spot false diminutives.

June 9, 2026 6 min read