martial art

American  

noun

martial arts plural

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

Derived Forms

• martial artist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• martial arts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of martial art

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

He boasts of achieving a seventh-degree black belt in Keichu-do karate, a Cajun hodgepodge martial art developed by his biological father, Karl.

From Slate • Jun. 29, 2026

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

"Ginga me," Amaarae sings repeatedly over a throbbing electro groove – referencing the fluid, hip-swaying movements of the Brazilian martial art Capoeira.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025

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