koan
noun
a nonsensical or paradoxical question to a student for which an answer is demanded, the stress of meditation on the question often being illuminating.
koans
-
pluralof koan.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Most of those vibes emanate from the company’s affable, Zen-minded CEO, Phil Knight, a wearer of track suits and spouter of Buddhist koans played by Affleck himself as the risk-averse yin to Sonny’s reckless yang.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2023
These might be familiar stories of family life, but now imagine them told in shards, the plot edging forward in jokes, quotes, Zen koans.
From New York Times ● Feb. 5, 2020
He parses both enigmatic Buddhist koans and the put-downs used in playing the Dozens, the African American game of competitive insults: “You’re so dumb you think the Supreme Court is where Diana Ross plays tennis.”
From Washington Post ● Dec. 12, 2018
Shorter has only got more oblique over the years, seemingly content to treat interviews as excuses to spontaneously invent Zen koans and review films.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 25, 2018
The original koans were composed by Danny Hillis, who would later found Connection Machines, Inc.
From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Guy L. Steele
