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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of jujitsu

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

Example Sentences

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

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026

He’s a charming Aussie surfer who plays videogames and has a black belt in jujitsu.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 5, 2025

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

From Slate • Jun. 25, 2025

He said he fills his competitive nature with adventure — he sailed from Florida to Italy as the boat’s captain — and has taken up jujitsu.

From Seattle Times • May 30, 2024

Fake Leo is gonna bust out some Coach Hedge-style jujitsu and save the day.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• judo
• karate
• wrestling