taureau
/tɔ.ʁo/masculine
The English word "bull" is translated into French as taureau.
taureau refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine. You can also use the idiom prendre le taureau par les cornes to mean "to take the bull by the horns."
Meaning: uncastrated adult male bovine (noun)
Which one should you use?
taureau specifically refers to an uncastrated male, whereas bœuf is used to describe a castrated male bovine (an ox).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the south of France, the term camarguais may be used to refer to a bull.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of taureau is taureaux.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /tɔ.ʁo/ and has two syllables.
Did you know?
- In the 'course camarguaise' of southern France, the goal is not to kill the taureau but to pluck a set of ribbons from its horns.
- In French, the word bœuf is used as a slang term to describe someone who is clumsy, slow or lacking in intelligence.
- The English word 'taurine', used to describe substances found in bulls, shares the exact same Proto-Indo-European root as the French taureau.
Examples in context
- J'attrape le taureau par les cornes.I'm grabbing the bull by the horns.This sentence shows how to use the word taureau when grabbing something by the horns.Tatoeba #8628171 by Aiji, translation #2599399 by AlanF_US
- Le taureau s'est échappé de l'arène.The bull escaped from the ring.This sentence demonstrates the use of taureau in the context of an arena.Tatoeba #12618959 by lbdx, translation #868956 by ColinG
- Ce taureau sera sacrifié demain soir.This bull will be sacrificed tomorrow evening.This sentence illustrates the use of taureau regarding a sacrifice.Tatoeba #7664095 by tras, translation #7593133 by feudalism
- Le taureau est un animal puissant et impressionnant.The bull is a powerful and impressive animal.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are watching a documentary about farm animals.
- NathanRegarde ce grand taureau dans le champ.Look at that big bull in the field.
- ManonIl a l'air très puissant, ce taureau.That bull looks very powerful.
- NathanOui, il est impressionnant.Yes, he is impressive.
- ManonIl faut rester loin de lui.We should stay far away from him.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bull” translations and entries taureau, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries taureau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
