matador

[mat-uh-dawr]

See more 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.

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for matador

toreador, torero

Examples from the Web for matador

Contemporary Examples of matador

The North Dakota native is the fourth of seven children raised in the small town of Matador, pop.
Never Bet Against Senator Heidi Heitkamp, North Dakota’s Rising Star
Sandra McElwaine
January 23, 2014
It's a snap of the matador's red cape, a defiant baiting of Fox News and talk radio.
Obama's Fighting Speech - Part 2
David Frum
January 21, 2013
A representative from her label, Matador Records, confirmed that nothing has been canceled.
Cat Power Announces Possible Tour Cancellation, Bankruptcy
Lauren Streib
November 2, 2012
Gerard Cosloy, who would sign the band to his Matador Records years later, criticized their early shows.
Yo La Tengo and the Birth of Indie Rock: ‘Big Day Coming’ Reviewed
Alyssa Noel
June 8, 2012
Yo La Tengo was one of those bands, eventually signing to tastemaker Matador Records.
Yo La Tengo and the Birth of Indie Rock: ‘Big Day Coming’ Reviewed
Alyssa Noel
June 8, 2012

Historical Examples of matador

There were several Italian peasants, a Cavalier, a Roundhead, and a matador.
The New Girl at St. Chad's
Angela Brazil
No matador in all Spain could have performed the feat more cleverly.
The Desert Home
Mayne Reid
I prayed that the matador had met with a similar interruption!
The War Trail
Mayne Reid
It was Isabella who first saw the matador, and uttered an exclamation.
The Pretty Sister Of Jos
Frances Hodgson Burnett
The matador of the fourth bull made an exceedingly bad thrust.
Poor Folk in Spain
Jan Gordon

British Dictionary definitions for matador

matador

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

Word Origin and History for matador

man who kills the bull in a bullfight, 1670s, from Spanish matador, literally "killer," from matar "to kill or wound," probably from Arabic mata "he died," from Persian (see second element in checkmate). Fem. form is matadora.