matador

American  

[mat-uh-dawr] / ˈmæt əˌdɔr /

noun

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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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; 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

Hawley embraces “wonderful peacock” 1850s menswear shapes: Victor’s puffed-out chest accentuates the “wasp waist” likening him to a matador.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026

The ghost of young matador Pedro Romero, the quiet center of Jake’s storm, waits on the bullring sand.

From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025

Flamboyant ticks and leaves like a matador goading a bull.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2023

“It’s sad that people who don’t know anything about our sector want to make laws about us,” said Sergio Alzate, 22, an aspiring matador and pupil at the city’s bullfighting school.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 20, 2023

“You take him, Paco,” he told a fellow matador; “I don’t like the way he looks at me.”

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell