sumo

American  

[soo-moh] / ˈsu moʊ /

noun

sumos plural

1. a form of wrestling in Japan in which a contestant wins by forcing his opponent out of the ring or by causing him to touch the ground with any part of his body other than the soles of his feet, contestants usually being men of great height and weight.

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sumo British  

/ ˈsuːməʊ /

noun

1. the national style of wrestling of Japan, the object of which is to force one's opponent to touch the ground with any part of his body except the soles of his feet or to step out of the ring

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sumoist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sumos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sumo

1895–1900; < Japanese sumō, earlier suma(f )u to wrestle

Explanation

Sumo is a Japanese wrestling style in which opponents try to force each other out of a ring. Sumo wrestlers are known for being enormous. The wrestlers live together and follow ancient traditions like growing their hair and wearing robes. Sumo wrestling is an ancient Japanese sport that follows traditional rituals, such as tossing salt into the ring before a match to cleanse it, or even the manner of dress, in which giant men wear only small loincloths. In sumo wrestling, the two opponents grapple with the goal of pushing each other out of the ring or to the mat. The word sumo literally means "to mutually rush at," though it's used to mean simply "to compete."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sumo sumos

My friends and I would rush home to find out if a sumo wrestler could beat a judo or kung fu master.

From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026

This week, a pile of sumo oranges that practically begged to be eaten on a blanket by the lake.

From Salon ● May 22, 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

Danylo Yavhusishyn fled the war in Ukraine to become a sumo wrestler in Japan and his rapid rise has taken him to one step away from reaching the ancient sport's highest rank.

From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026

She was pulling so ferociously on the door that I wouldn’t have been surprised to see a three- hundred-pound sumo wrestler on the other side.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

These sumos can do splits, legs straight out at a 90-degree angle to their body.

From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2018