noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈbʊlˌfaɪ.tɪŋ/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:B UH1 L F AY2 T IH0 NG
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A traditional spectacle, popular in Spain and many former Spanish colonies, in which a matador manipulates and ultimately kills a bull at close range.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
the activity at a bullfight
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: tauromachy
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: blood sport
History
Etymology
From bull + fighting.
Across languages
Translations
47 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
stiergeveg
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Arabic:
مُصَارَعَة ثِيرَانٍ
(muṣāraʕat ṯīrānin)
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Armenian:
ցլամարտ
(cʻlamart)
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Azerbaijani:
öküz döyüşü
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Basque:
tauromakia
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Bulgarian:
бикоборство
(bikoborstvo)
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Catalan:
tauromàquia
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Chinese Mandarin:
公牛戰鬥 /公牛战斗
(gōngniú zhàndòu)
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Chinese Mandarin:
鬥牛 /斗牛
(dòuniú)
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Dutch:
stierenvechten
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Estonian:
härjavõitlus
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Finnish:
härkätaistelu
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
French:
tauromachie
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
French:
corrida
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Galician:
toureo
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Galician:
tauromaquia
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Galician:
corrida de touros
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Georgian:
კორიდა
(ḳorida)
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Georgian:
ხარების ბრძოლა
(xarebis brʒola)
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
German:
Stierkampf
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Greek:
ταυρομαχία
(tavromachía)
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Hebrew:
מלחמת שוורים
(milkhemet shvarym)
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Hungarian:
bikaviadal
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Italian:
toromachia
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Italian:
corrida
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Japanese:
闘牛
(tōgyū)
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Japanese:
雄牛の戦い
(oushi-no tatakai)
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Korean:
황소 싸움
(hwangso ssaum)
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Latin:
tauromachia
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Maltese:
ġlieda tat-toru
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Norwegian Bokmål:
tyrefekting
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Norwegian Bokmål:
tyrefektning
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Norwegian Nynorsk:
tyrefekting
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Persian:
گاوبازی
(gâvbâzi)
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Polish:
korrida
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Portuguese:
tauromaquia
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Portuguese:
tourada
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Portuguese:
corrida de touros
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Romanian:
coridă
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Russian:
бой быко́в
(boj bykóv)
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Russian:
корри́да
(korrída)
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Spanish:
toreo
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Spanish:
tauromaquia
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Spanish:
corrida de toros
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Swedish:
tjurfäktning
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Turkish:
boğa güreşi
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
Vietnamese:
đấu bò
— spectacle of manipulating and killing a bull
