bullfight

American  

[bool-fahyt] / ˈbʊlˌfaɪt /

noun

• bullfights
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• bullfighter
  noun
• bullfighting
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bullfights
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bullfight

First recorded in 1745–55; bull ¹ + fight

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bullfight bullfights

He still recalls the exact date in 1982 when he performed guanniu at a national ethnic-minority sports meet, and a senior government official called it "a true Chinese-style bullfight".

From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026

Beneath the clipped prose and bullfight bravado is a meditation on appetite, both emotional and physical.

From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025

There was a parade, a bullfight, several Catholic Masses — and ample opportunity to share the food, language and culture of a quietly powerful community tucked into California’s farmlands.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2024

Despite an an uptick after the Covid pandemic, notably driven by younger people, Spanish culture ministry statistics show that just under 2% of the population went to a bullfight in the 2021-2022 season.

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2024

And, oh, what a feast there was—sweets and handmade tamales, a parade, even a bullfight.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

He and Jake leave Paris to fish in the Pyrenees and watch bullfights in Pamplona, where tensions among the expatriates explode.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025

Socorro’s social nature, her spunk and her adaptability were likely rooted in her early childhood experiences tagging along with her father to bullfights and bars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2025

Around 250,000 bulls are killed in bullfights globally each year, according to Humane Society International.

From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2024

In the courtyards, young men and women participated in bullfights that may be the basis for the myth of the Minotaur.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

Some five miles from the city, she spied an enormous circular building, a stadium where bullfights took place.

From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty