ninja

American  

[nin-juh] / ˈnɪn dʒə /

noun

• ninja,
  plural
• ninjas
  plural

1. (often initial capital letter) a member of a feudal Japanese society of mercenary agents highly trained in martial arts and stealth ninjutsu, who were hired for covert purposes ranging from espionage to sabotage and assassination.

2. a person who is expert or highly skilled in a specified field or activity (often used attributively).

   marketing ninjas; ninja programmers.

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verb (used with object)

ninjaed, ninjaing

1. Slang. Also ninja loot (in a video game) to unfairly claim (valuable items or loot) from a treasure pool by taking them from a kill made by another player or bypassing the agreed-upon system for loot distribution in a group.

   When I ninja an epic item, I log off the server before anyone even realizes what happened.

ninja British  

/ ˈnɪndʒə /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) a person skilled in ninjutsu, a Japanese martial art characterized by stealthy movement and camouflage

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ninja
  plural
• ninjas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ninja

First recorded in 1960–65; from Japanese, equivalent to nin- “endure” + -ja, combining form of -sha “person, agent” (from Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese rěn + zhě )

Explanation

A ninja was a skilled fighter in feudal Japan, starting in the fourteenth or fifteenth century. Today, people like to call themselves ninjas for doing anything well — from making a touchdown to surviving a treacherous obstacle course. The original ninjas were mercenary warriors and spies, and the methods they used were looked down on and considered dishonorable by the highest caste, the samurais. Ninjas were so fascinating and frequently discussed that they gained mythological status — in stories, people credited them with invisibility and the ability to walk on water, among other skills. In Japanese, the word ninja means "spy."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ninja ninjas

The company also created a new team, called coding ninja, tasked with making sure new models were designed in a way that customers found useful.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

Robinson also created other videos depicting Pitt battling a sword-wielding "zombie ninja," and another showing him teaming up with Cruise to fight a robot.

From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026

The first of these revival projects, ninja adventure Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, slashed its way on to some critics' game of the year shortlists when it came out last month.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2025

After the house fell silent, they rifled through pockets of clothes inside the closet, finding a manicure kit and a ninja star inside a box of childhood mementos.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2025

Things were crazy enough, so why not a ninja?

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

A later set piece — Spider-Man against a group of red-clad ninjas known as the Hand — was shot at a former prison outside London.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

"Background actors are like ninjas, and only ninjas can determine who else is a good ninja," Amaya told AFP.

From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026

Even though the city of Iga is not looking for ninjas, it may be true that there is a “ninja shortage” in Japan.

From NewsForKids.net ● Apr. 26, 2024

According to Long, squirrels are “ranunculus ninjas — they won’t eat the corms, but they will dig up the corms and carry them off.”

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 27, 2024

Opened it and slipped into the inside-outside room, closing the door behind them, like ninjas.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds