sensei
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of sensei
< Japanese: teacher, master, doctor < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese xiānsheng ( xiān ahead + shēng born)
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.
"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
He wanted to be a better person and a sensei worthy of the kids he instructed.
From Salon • Feb. 13, 2025
A wiry longtime martial arts practitioner who sometimes wears his hair in long pigtail braids, the 53-year-old Nguyen plays the role of firearms sensei.
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2024
Somebody introduced me to my martial arts sensei.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 12, 2023
When the miso was ready—complete with grasshopper bits in the broth the sensei led the children in a song.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
