matador

American  

[mat-uh-dawr] / ˈmæt əˌdɔr /

noun

• matadors
  plural

1. the principal bullfighter in a bullfight who passes the bull with a muleta and then, in many countries, kills it with a sword thrust; a torero.

2. one of the principal cards in skat and certain other games.

3. (initial capital letter) a jet-powered U.S. surface-to-surface missile.

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matador British  

/ ˈmætədɔː /

noun

1. the principal bullfighter who is appointed to kill the bull

2. (in some card games such as skat) one of the highest ranking cards

3. a game played with dominoes in which the dots on adjacent halves must total seven

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• matadors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of matador

1665–75; < Spanish, equivalent to mata ( r ) to kill (perhaps < Vulgar Latin *mattāre, presumed derivative of Late Latin mattus soft, weak; cf. matte ¹) +- dor -tor

Compare meaning

How does matador compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• toreador vs. matador

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

matador matadors

His name is Mikel Merino, and he’s fast turning into Spain’s World Cup matador.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

This relentless bull market may finally have found its matador.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

We meet Iñaki, the manager here who is appropriately more matador than barkeep.

From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025

Beetlejuice dabbles in other goofy alternatives such as a matador outfit and an afterlife customs-officer uniform.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2024

The children had apologized, but clearly they also felt that an injustice had been done, for why should they be scolded for playing matador when the housekeeper was not?

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

The two matadors had already faced off twice in the preceding weeks, and each time Manolete found himself at odds with the public, as the crowds thronged behind Dominguín instead.

From New York Times ● May 3, 2022

Wagon-wheel chandelier, cereal boxes, dirty dishes, green shag carpet, orange vinyl couch patched with duct tape, two sad-looking boys dressed as matadors staring from a painting on the wall.

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 29, 2018

Shown nearby are paintings of matadors, which have a child-like quality but were made by Picasso towards the end of his life in the early 1970s.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 26, 2017

Elsewhere in the Great Hall at London's iconic Alexandra Palace, a motley crew of skeletons, nuns, Elvis Presleys, matadors, and rather disheveled Santas, were partying hard -- all in the name of darts.

From Reuters ● Dec. 25, 2014

“I doubt you will see any matadors on the train platform,” Penelope remarked.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood