samurai

American  

[sam-oo-rahy] / ˈsæm ʊˌraɪ /

noun

Japanese History.

1. a member of the hereditary warrior class in feudal Japan.

2. a retainer of a daimyo.

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samurai British  

/ ˈsæmʊˌraɪ, ˈsæmjʊ- /

noun

1. the Japanese warrior caste that provided the administrative and fighting aristocracy from the 11th to the 19th centuries

2. a member of this aristocracy

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• samurai
  plural

Etymology

Origin of samurai

1720–30; < Japanese, earlier samurafi to serve, equivalent to sa- prefix + morafi watchfully wait (frequentative of mor- to guard)

Explanation

Use the noun samurai when you're talking about the elite Japanese warriors who practiced martial arts in pre-industrial Japan. These days you'll only see samurai in movies about Japan, and it's easy to think of them as fictional superheroes. They really did exist, though, and played an important part in Japanese history, as members of the nobility from the tenth century all the way through the 1800s. In Japanese, the word samurai means "warrior or knight."

Example Sentences

“In Japanese samurai movies, it’s one stroke kills,” RZA said.

From Salon • May 31, 2026

The men dressed up incongruously as samurai warriors, and Riley arranged for the sumo world champion to be there, all 350 pounds of him.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

"One day he stumbles upon a samurai sensei who teaches him...about real discipline and how he can not only protect himself, but protect other people too."

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

Early samurai patronage of theater, painting and tea ceremonies, as well as their religious support of Buddhism, Shinto and even Christianity, are all on display.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

I hold my hands in front of me like I'm carrying the samurai spear some of the others held.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman