ninja

[ nin-juh ]

noun

, plural nin·ja, nin·jas.

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.

verb (used with object)

, nin·jaed, nin·ja·ing.

1. Also nin·ja loot. Slang. (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

/ ˈnɪndʒə /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ninja¹

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 )

Word History and Origins

Origin of ninja¹

Japanese

Example Sentences

You’ve got the urgency of the cog chasing you down, and you need ninja e-bike skills to balance and maintain traction on the steep course.

From Outside Online

Naruto, the main character of one of the world’s most popular series, which ran between 1999 and 2014, is a quirky teenager determined to become his village’s strongest ninja.

From Washington Post

A young American man wearing orange is kneeling in the sand beside a man dressed like a ninja.

From Time

Suddenly the ninja I had been on land was nowhere to be seen.

From Outside Online

This Tenno turns the player into a hyper-competent space ninja that allows them to cast spells and deal damage.

From Time

He was gonna join the fight, you know, really he was, got his ninja getup fitted and everything.

From The Daily Beast

She is as confident over the phone as she is climbing across one of Ninja Warriors many daunting obstacles.

From The Daily Beast

Can Kacy Catanzaro be the first woman to win 'American Ninja Warrior'?

From The Daily Beast

At an even five feet tall, Catanzaro is the shortest competitor in this season of Ninja Warrior, but average for a gymnast.

From The Daily Beast

It is fitting then, that New Jersey native Kacy Catanzaro may become the American Ninja.

From The Daily Beast