jujitsu

American  

[joo-jit-soo] / dʒuˈdʒɪt su /

Also jujutsu, or jiujitsu

noun

1. a method developed in Japan of defending oneself without the use of weapons by using the strength and weight of an adversary to disable him.

2. the use of an opponent's strengths or one's own weaknesses to accomplish one's goals.

   That was a kind of intellectual jujitsu, the way she handily won the debate.

   The town of Vacaville, in a prime example of touristic jujitsu, turned its isolation into an attraction in itself.

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verb (used with object)

1. to turn (a situation) to one's advantage by exploiting one's own weaknesses or another's strengths, as in a social or political relationship.

   He deftly jujitsued the conversation to make my knowledge of the subject seem pretentious.

jujitsu British  

/ dʒuːˈdʒɪtsuː /

noun

1. the traditional Japanese system of unarmed self-defence perfected by the samurai See also judo

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Etymology

Origin of jujitsu

First recorded in 1870–75; from Japanese jūjitsu, earlier jūjutsu, equivalent to jū “soft” ( see judo) + -jut(u) “technique,” from Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese shù

Explanation

Jujitsu is a Japanese martial art that involves defending oneself by hand with holds, throws, and blows. The practice of jujitsu dates to the 17th century, when samurai warriors used it to augment their swords. Jujitsu is from the Japanese jujutsu, which comes from ju, "softness," and jutsu, "art." While some forms of jujitsu involve very small weapons, most don't. In this style of close combat, a practitioner tries to redirect an opponent's attack against them, rather than aggressively countering that force. Today, some people learn jujitsu in order to practice a graceful, powerful martial art, and others use it for self defense.

Example Sentences

Ver is clean-cut and fit — he has a black belt in Brazilian jujitsu.

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026

She missed her son’s swimming and jujitsu lessons.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 13, 2025

Avoiding the force of this body of case law in Skrmetti required some substantial judicial jujitsu.

From Slate • Jun. 25, 2025

Collins, a married father of four, testified that he has been passionate about Brazilian jujitsu for two decades, including teaching grappling tactics to his Army unit.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 4, 2023

After Harriet Tubman freed the slaves, Hirohito and the boys showed off their karate kicks and chops and jujitsu moves.

From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Related Words

• judo
• karate
• wrestling