matador

[ mat-uh-dawr ]

/ ˈmæt əˌdɔr /

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.

RELATED WORDS

toreador, torero

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
The matador still goes round bowing to the applause, elaborately unmindful of the angry beast.
The Land of The Blessed Virgin; Sketches and Impressions in Andalusia|William Somerset Maugham
The matador chose the spot which suited him the best, and indicated it to his quadrilla.
Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 7|Various
The matador foils and plays with the bull until he has discovered his disposition.
Gatherings From Spain|Richard Ford
The matador pressed forward laboriously among the assemblage.
The Blood of the Arena|Vicente Blasco Ibez
I prayed that the matador had met with a similar interruption!
The War Trail|Mayne Reid

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

Word Origin and History for matador

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.