torear

to fight bulls

to fight

torear(toh-reh-ahr)

intransitive verb

1. (bullfighting)

a. to fight bulls

El famoso matador comenzó a torear desde muy temprana edad.

The famous matador began fighting bulls from a very early age.

b. to fight

Alejandra se ponía muy nerviosa cuando su marido salía al ruedo a torear.

Alejandra found it very stressful when her husband went out into the bullring to fight.

c. to be a bullfighter

Jorge quiere seguir los pasos de su famoso padre y torear como él.

Jorge wants to follow in his famous father's footsteps and be a bullfighter like him.

2. (to snarl)

(Bolivia)

(River Plate)

a. to bark furiously

El perro guardián vio a un hombre junto a la reja y comenzó a torear.

The guardian dog saw a man by the gate and began barking furiously.

transitive verb

3. (bullfighting)

a. to fight

Sánchez apareció en el ruedo para torear un astado por primera vez en su carrera.

Sanchez appeared in the bullring to fight a bull for the first time in his career.

4. (to avoid)

a. to dodge

El actor salió del hotel por la puerta trasera para torear a los paparazzi.

The actor left the hotel through the back door to dodge the paparazzi.

5. (to make fun of)

a. to tease

Toreábamos a Lionel por el nuevo corte de pelo que se hizo.

We were teasing Lionel because of his new haircut.

6. (to madden)

(Latin America)

a. to provoke

El borracho quería pelearse con alguien y toreaba a cualquiera que tuviera cerca.

The drunk was looking for a fight and was provoking anyone around him.

b. to mess with

(colloquial)

Lara me las va a pagar por torearme de esta manera.

Lara will be sorry for messing with me like that.

7. (to snarl at)

(Bolivia)

(River Plate)

a. to bark furiously at

El dóberman me toreaba y no me animé a entrar.

The Doberman was barking furiously at me and I didn't dare go in.

torear

transitive verb

1. (lidiar)

a. to fight

2. (general)

a. to dodge

3. (burlarse de)

a.

torear a alguiento mess somebody about

intransitive verb

4. (lidiar)

a. to fight bulls

Copyright © 2006 Harrap Publishers Limited

torear

transitive verb

1 [+toro] to fight; play

2 (evitar) to dodge; avoid

3 (acosar) to plague; (burlarse) to tease; draw on; (confundir) to confuse

¡a mí no me torea nadie! nobody messes me around! (familiar)

4 (mantener a raya) to keep at bay; (dar largas a) to put off; keep guessing

5 (Centroamérica) (S. Cone) [+animal] to provoke; enrage; (S. Cone) (México) [+persona] to infuriate

6 (And) (S. Cone) [+perro] to bark furiously at

intransitive verb

1 (Taur) to fight (bulls)

toreó bien Suárez Suárez fought well; no volverá a torear he will never fight again; el muchacho quiere torear the boy wants to be a bullfighter

2 (dar largas) to spin it out; procrastinate

3 (And) (S. Cone) (ladrar) to bark furiously