Treino de Força e Capoeira com Rodriigo Pantera

What does “travar” mean in Portuguese?

Travar is one of those Portuguese verbs that covers a surprising range: it can mean to lock a door, to jam a mechanism, to slam the brakes, or — very commonly — to describe a frozen computer (“o computador travou”). The thread running through all of it is the same: something that was moving suddenly can’t.

In this jiu-jitsu training clip, travar shows up in its combat-sports sense: “travou pro pescoço” means the grip has locked onto the opponent’s neck, controlling it so it can’t move. The same root gives travar batalha (“to join battle”), and even a bitter, unripe fruit can travar — leaving your mouth with that puckery, locked-up feeling.