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

To learn more about what the matador bugs are doing, a team from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) exposed the bugs to two different types of arthropods–praying mantids and katydids. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025

In the postseason, everyone is searching for complementary wings/forwards that can defend without hurting them on offense or space the floor without being a matador on defense. —Mat Issa, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025

The matadors each fight two bulls in contests that last for roughly 20 minutes, and end with the animal’s death. —Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 June 2025

Peruvian matador Andrés Roca Rey has enormous testicles. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 27 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from matar to kill

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for matador

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

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"