matador

noun

mat·​a·​dor ˈma-tə-ˌdȯr 

: a bullfighter who has the principal role and who kills the bull in a bullfight

Examples of matador in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Like a matador swirling his cape, Patrick Roden-Reynolds pulled a swatch of white flannel this way and that on the grass and leaf litter in my yard. — Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026

If charged by a rhino, the wise thing to do is simply step to the right, like a matador. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

The cast are clustered around a table of props and despite her disappointment at the lack of hag wigs, Dale Dickey is flapping a fishing net like a seafaring matador. — Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026

Galliano leaned into the celebrity his success won him, walking out at the end of his own runway shows dressed as an astronaut, or a pirate, or a matador. — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from matar to kill

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for matador

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore
• heretofore

Kids Definition

matador

noun

mat·​a·​dor ˈmat-ə-ˌdȯ(ə)r 

: the bullfighter who plays the major human part in a bullfight

Etymology

Spanish, literally "killer"