Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

toreador

American  
[tawr-ee-uh-dawr, taw-re-ah-thawr] / ˈtɔr i əˌdɔr, ˌtɔ rɛ ɑˈðɔr /

noun

  • toreadors
    plural
  1. a bullfighter; torero.


toreador British  
/ ˈtɒrɪəˌdɔː /

noun

  1. a bullfighter

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of toreador

1610–20; < Spanish, equivalent to torea ( r ) to bait a bull (derivative of toro bull < Latin taurus ) + -dor -tor

Compare meaning

How does toreador compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

And he began to develop the toreador routine to replace the hat-over-the-hole trick after some players complained he might be damaging the cup or leaving spike marks on the green with his dancing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2024

Zambello has cast him as the toreador Escamillo in WNO’s production of Bizet’s “Carmen” set for this spring.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 24, 2021

Came a jet-beaded toreador bolero atop a leather milkmaid corset and motocross pants.

From New York Times ● Mar. 4, 2020

Habazin, dressed in Spanish toreador garb, walked out to boos, trailed by her former trainer, Bashir, who took a seat in the front row.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 15, 2020

Beautiful men in toreador outfits joined their ladies.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

On view were hastily brushed, large canvases of musketeers, toreadors, atelier scenes and cavorting couples.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

His grandfather was an amateur bullfighter, and the local toreadors used to come by the house to get ready for corridas.

From New York Times ● Oct. 9, 2018

Instead, the toreadors are waving variously coloured silk scarves and prancing around as if the ground is too hot to stand on.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 5, 2013

Frank Bowman pitching: a game against Yale, 3-1, preceded by parades of Princeton alumni dressed as soldiers, sailors, legionaries, firemen, cowboys, policemen, toreadors, big game hunters.

From Time Magazine Archive

Sometimes he got a piece of them, but most of the time they just sidestepped him like toreadors or pushed him away as though he was a bothersome younger cousin.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com