martial art

American  

noun

1. Often martial arts any of the traditional forms of Asian self-defense or combat that utilize physical skill and coordination without weapons, as karate, aikido, judo, or kung fu, often practiced as sport.

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martial art British  

noun

1. any of various philosophies of self-defence and techniques of single combat, such as judo or karate, originating in the Far East

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Other Word Forms

• martial artist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of martial art

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

In San Francisco, Laura Neri has already enrolled her 4- and 7-year-old daughters in a Russian math camp or others focused on theater and Capoeira, the Brazilian martial art.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

The first time Weston broke his back it ended a promising career in the martial art for the 28-year-old, but bizarrely it turned out to be a blessing.

From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026

Kalaripayattu - kalari means battleground and payattu means fight - is believed to have originated at least 3,000 years back in the southern state of Kerala and is regarded as India's oldest martial art.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2025

It’s a traditional Japanese martial art form that is pretty intense and aggressive.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2024

They learned the basics of Black Widow Bokator—a deadly version of the ancient Cambodian martial art developed specifically for the Scythedom.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

• judo
• karate
• wrestling