martial art

American

noun

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.

martial art British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

martial art

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