bullfight

American  

[bool-fahyt] / ˈbʊlˌfaɪt /

noun

1. a traditional Spanish, Portuguese, or Latin American spectacle in which a bull is fought 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

Of course, it was Mrs. Clarke they were imitating, for how would the children know anything about bullfights and matadors?

From Literature

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

From Salon

Hemingway often draws an analogy between dying in war and in bullfighting.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

As shameful as you may find bullfighting, the details are what drive this spellbinding, immersive work.

From Los Angeles Times