matador

[ mat-uh-dawr ]
/ ˈmæt əˌdɔr /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR matador ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.
one of the principal cards in skat and certain other games.
(initial capital letter) a jet-powered U.S. surface-to-surface missile.

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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. matte1) +-dor -tor

Words nearby matador

mata-mata, matabele, matabeleland, matacil, matadi, matador, matagalpa, matagorda bay, matagouri, matai, matamoros
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to matador

toreador, torero

Example sentences from the Web for matador

British Dictionary definitions for matador

matador
/ (ˈmætədɔː) /

noun

the principal bullfighter who is appointed to kill the bull
(in some card games such as skat) one of the highest ranking cards
a game played with dominoes in which the dots on adjacent halves must total seven

Word Origin for matador

C17: from Spanish, from matar to kill
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012