bullfighting

American

[bool-fahyt-ing] / ˈbʊlˌfaɪt ɪŋ /

noun

a traditional Spanish, Portuguese, or Latin American sport in which a bull is fought by a matador in an arena according to prescribed conventions, traditionally ending with the bull being killed; in Portuguese-style bullfighting, the bull is not killed in the arena.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

Rey’s relationship to the spiritual side of bullfighting becomes ongoing.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 18, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 18, 2025

Although legal in Spain, many individual cities have outlawed the practice of bullfighting.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2024

When Sandi played Toro, bullfighting Yoyo with a towel, she would shout after each successful scrape with death, ¡OLE! and stamp her feet in triumph, lifting her right hand to the crowd.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023