bullfight

American  

[bool-fahyt] / ˈbʊlˌfaɪt /

noun

1. a traditional Spanish, Portuguese, or Latin American spectacle in which a bull is fought by a matador, assisted by banderilleros and picadors, in a prescribed way in an arena and is usually killed.

---

bullfight British  

/ ˈbʊlˌfaɪt /

noun

1. a traditional Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American spectacle in which a matador, assisted by banderilleros and mounted picadors, baits and usually kills a bull in an arena

---

Other Word Forms

• bullfighter
  noun
• bullfighting
  noun

Etymology

Origin of bullfight

First recorded in 1745–55; bull ¹ + fight

Example Sentences

Bullfight organizers say it is a question of rights.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 6, 2023

"Bullfight critics ranked in rows/Crowd the enormous plaza full/But only one is there who knows/And he's the man who fights the bull."

From US News • Sep. 16, 2015

A significant and encouraging development in the theater during the last season was the fact that plays like The Golden Apple, Bullfight and Madame, Will You Walk had successful New York runs despite: 1.

From Time Magazine Archive

"It's part of our social genome," says Luis Corrales, president of the Platform for Defense of the Bullfight.

From Time Magazine Archive

He afterwards travelled in Spain and Italy, painting many subjects, such as a Spanish Bullfight, Monks preaching at Seville, &c., and thence went to the East, where he stayed some years.

From English Painters with a chapter on American painters by Koehler, S. R.