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

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

From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025

We will see a Charlo that will attempt to use his speed, and move in and out and try to keep Álvarez at distance — a matador trying to keep the Mexican bull at bay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2023

Alexander had assumed the role of matador, and Beowulf and Cassiopeia were taking turns charging at him.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

The one corrida Manolete went to as a child didn’t excite him in the least, and when kids at school pretended to be bulls and matadors, play-fighting with one another, Manolete kept to himself.

From New York Times ● May 3, 2022

Wearing mandatory face masks and sitting in fumigated seats separated by stickers, fans watched matadors take on seven bulls in a charity contest to raise money for jobless bullfighters and other workers in the sector.

From Reuters ● May 2, 2021

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

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

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood