Skip to content

sakmal

sakmál with stress marks

to snap or grab with a big open mouth

verb sak-MAL Native origin Rare

Usage Note

Sakmal describes a wide-mouthed lunging bite — a shark clamping down, a dog snapping aggressively. It implies a larger and more powerful mouth action than sagpang, emphasizing the size and force of the jaw movement.

Examples

Beginner

" Sinakmal ng aso ang buto. "

Natural Translation

The dog grabbed the bone in its mouth.

Literal Translation

Grabbed of dog the bone.

Intermediate

" Malakas ang sakmal ng aso. "

Natural Translation

The grab of the dog is strong.

Literal Translation

Strong the grab of dog.

Advanced

" Bigla na lang sinakmal ng pating ang pamingwit, kaya napilitan kaming putulin ang lubid. "

Natural Translation

The shark suddenly clamped down on the fishing line, so we were forced to cut the rope.

Literal Translation

Suddenly just clamped of shark the fishing-line, so forced we cut the rope.

Free · iOS & Android

Take Tagalog with you

The full course, a 12,500-word dictionary, and flashcards that make every word stick — free to start on iOS and Android.

Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.

How Tagalog words work

Actor Focus Verbs

Object Focus Verbs

Explore Tagalog by topic

Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.