samurai

American  

[sam-oo-rahy] / ˈsæm ʊˌraɪ /

noun

Japanese History.

plural

samurai

1. a member of the hereditary warrior class in feudal Japan.

2. a retainer of a daimyo.

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samurai British  

/ ˈsæmʊˌraɪ, ˈsæmjʊ- /

noun

1. the Japanese warrior caste that provided the administrative and fighting aristocracy from the 11th to the 19th centuries

2. a member of this aristocracy

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Etymology

Origin of samurai

1720–30; < Japanese, earlier samurafi to serve, equivalent to sa- prefix + morafi watchfully wait (frequentative of mor- to guard)

Explanation

Use the noun samurai when you're talking about the elite Japanese warriors who practiced martial arts in pre-industrial Japan. These days you'll only see samurai in movies about Japan, and it's easy to think of them as fictional superheroes. They really did exist, though, and played an important part in Japanese history, as members of the nobility from the tenth century all the way through the 1800s. In Japanese, the word samurai means "warrior or knight."

Example Sentences

"One day he stumbles upon a samurai sensei who teaches him...about real discipline and how he can not only protect himself, but protect other people too."

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

Early samurai patronage of theater, painting and tea ceremonies, as well as their religious support of Buddhism, Shinto and even Christianity, are all on display.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

Each bay presents an aspect of samurai life, collectively producing a robust representation of Edo-period visual and material culture.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

At the end, we’re left to indulge in our contemporary myths about the samurai, knowing that these are built on far older ones.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

The story of his great-grandfather, the samurai madman, was his own story, too, he saw now.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson