samurai
noun
sam·u·rai
ˈsa-mə-ˌrī 
ˈsam-yə-
plural samurai
1
: a military retainer of a Japanese daimyo practicing the code of conduct of Bushido
2
: the warrior aristocracy of Japan
Examples of samurai in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But a retainer is still a samurai—the term refers to a vassal in feudal Japan, usually a samurai offering military services.
—
Chantelle Lee, TIME, 16 May 2024
Feudal barons, samurai, merchants and princesses regularly took this route in the Japanese Alps to get between political hubs Kyoto and Tokyo.
—Norma Meyer, Orange County Register, 15 May 2024
In an interview with PEOPLE, the Shōgun star, 63, reflected on his experience working alongside Reeves in the samurai fantasy drama 47 Ronin and John Wick: Chapter 4.
—Jp Mangalindan, Peoplemag, 15 May 2024
Written by Frank Miller, with art by Miller, Philip Tan and Daniel Henriques, Ronin Rising was Miller’s return to his cyberpunk samurai tale first published by DC Comics.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
But by the middle of the episode, in the midst of repeatedly wielding her naginata (a long-shafted blade) against a samurai army, Sawai had descended into a focused trance.
—Jake Kring-Schreifels, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
Spend a little time exploring here to get a sense of what life was like for the samurai of that time.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
The samurai were a class of people whose role changed dramatically over time.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2024
Three hundred years ago, the samurai of Aizu, a mountainous area in Fukushima prefecture, began brewing rice liquor.
—La Carmina, Travel + Leisure, 27 Jan. 2024
Chantelle Lee, TIME, 16 May 2024
Feudal barons, samurai, merchants and princesses regularly took this route in the Japanese Alps to get between political hubs Kyoto and Tokyo.
—Norma Meyer, Orange County Register, 15 May 2024
In an interview with PEOPLE, the Shōgun star, 63, reflected on his experience working alongside Reeves in the samurai fantasy drama 47 Ronin and John Wick: Chapter 4.
—Jp Mangalindan, Peoplemag, 15 May 2024
Written by Frank Miller, with art by Miller, Philip Tan and Daniel Henriques, Ronin Rising was Miller’s return to his cyberpunk samurai tale first published by DC Comics.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
But by the middle of the episode, in the midst of repeatedly wielding her naginata (a long-shafted blade) against a samurai army, Sawai had descended into a focused trance.
—Jake Kring-Schreifels, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
Spend a little time exploring here to get a sense of what life was like for the samurai of that time.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
The samurai were a class of people whose role changed dramatically over time.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2024
Three hundred years ago, the samurai of Aizu, a mountainous area in Fukushima prefecture, began brewing rice liquor.
—La Carmina, Travel + Leisure, 27 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'samurai.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Samurai.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/samurai. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
samurai
noun
sam·u·rai
ˈsam-(y)ə-ˌrī
plural samurai
: a warrior serving a Japanese feudal lord and practicing a code of conduct which valued honor over life
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