karate

noun

ka·​ra·​te kə-ˈrä-tē How to pronounce karate (audio)
: a Japanese art of self-defense employing hand strikes and kicks to disable or subdue an opponent
karateist noun

Examples of karate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Wang was chosen in part for his variety of martial arts skills, including karate, wing chun/kung fu, gumdo, kempo and taekwondo. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 17 Dec. 2024 Jonathan Entwistle directs Legends, which stars Ben Wang as a young karate student. Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024 By season six, the bosses of the two rival karate studios began collaborating with each other and dealing with the return of Terry Silver, a villain first introduced in 1989's The Karate Kid Part III. Caroline Reid, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024 To the surprise of no one, the students of Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso and William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence are once again preparing to compete in a major karate tournament. Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 20 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for karate 

Word History

Etymology

Japanese, from kara empty + te hand

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of karate was in 1926

Dictionary Entries Near karate

Cite this Entry

“Karate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/karate. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

karate

noun
ka·​ra·​te kə-ˈrät-ē How to pronounce karate (audio)
: a Japanese art of self-defense without a weapon
Etymology

from Japanese karate, literally, "empty hand"

More from Merriam-Webster on karate

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