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Glite Dictionary

bullfight

9 6.3
A public show in Spain where a person fights and often kills a bull in an arena
  • noun
  • /ˈbʊlfaɪt/
  • NSFW
translation icon : corrida
  • In Spain, Luz-Marie took him to a bullfight where they watched four bulls slaughtered in two hours.
  • bullfight (corrida)
  • bullfight fiestas
  • bullfight fans

Examples

  • Have you ever seen a bullfight, Miss Havens?

    Knight and Day (2010)

  • There comes a time in every bullfight when it's time to end the capework and uncover the sword.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • What time is the bullfight?

    Frankie and Johnny (1991)

  • I'm taking him to see his first bullfight.

    From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

  • We would be close enough to Seville to take in a bullfight now and then.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • For my part, I've been to one bullfight and one encierro, and quite enjoyed them both.

    Blog text (28)

  • Each of the six cities named above sponsors a series of bullfights during its fiesta mayor.

    Academic text (1991)

  • When Montalvo saw him at the bullfight the next day, he was so stunned he couldn't move.

    Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951)

  • The night before, we had agreed to meet Roberto and Renata and go to the bullfights and then to dinner.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Last summer, I experienced my first bullfight in Seville, and it was a dramatic event.

Synonyms

corrida
vsbullfight
  • NSFW
1 9.9

A public bullfight in which a bullfighter faces and usually kills a bull in an arena

has identical meaning but is a different name for the same spectacle

Surface Forms

bullfight singular
bullfights plural

Morphology

bullfight = bull + fight (semi-transparent) = bull + fight

The compound literally combines 'bull' + 'fight' (a fight involving a bull), but the conventional sense as a specific cultural spectacle with ritual roles and outcomes is a specialized extension not fully derivable by all learners.

Etymology

Bullfight is a simple combination of bull and fight, so it literally means 'a fight with a bull'. That is why it refers to the public show, especially in Spain and Latin America, where a matador faces and often kills a bull in an arena.