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

"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

Global content giant Lionsgate is reportedly developing Naruto, an anime about a young, underdog ninja who works his way up to become the village protector.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2025

Mark Joseph Stern: This is a classic Kagan ninja move.

From Slate ● May 16, 2025

Taylor may be an undercover, bully-fighting ninja, but she’s still kind of awful.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli

During the best fight scene, Peter takes on a squadron of gravity-defying ninjas in a brawl that takes place as much in the air as on the ground.

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

The NPR show said that the mayor was having trouble finding people to build the museum, and to perform as ninjas.

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