judo

noun

ju·​do ˈjü-(ˌ)dō 

: a sport developed from jujitsu that emphasizes the use of quick movement and leverage to throw an opponent

judoist

ˈjü-ˌdō-ist 

noun

Did you know?

Judo is a martial art that emphasizes the use of quick movement and leverage to throw an opponent. Its techniques are generally intended to turn an opponent's force to one's own advantage rather than to oppose it directly. The opponent must be thrown cleanly, pinned, or mastered through the application of pressure to arm joints or the neck. Judo evolved out of the older martial art jujitsu in late-19th-century Japan, but it is now practiced primarily as sport. It became an Olympic sport for men in 1964; women's judo was added in 1992.

Examples of judo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fans hoped this mainstream spotlight would set the stage to rival the heydays of the wildly popular McGregor and Ronda Rousey, the judo specialist who incentivized the UFC to develop women’s divisions. — Mark Puleo, New York Times, 13 June 2026

One of its leads is Xie Miao, a regular on mainland Chinese streaming who as a kid in the ’90s twice starred alongside Jet Li as his onscreen son, and the other is Joe Taslim, the Indonesian judo champ turned Warrior and Mortal Kombat actor. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 12 June 2026

That includes disciplines such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, wrestling and judo. — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 12 June 2026

As with other martial arts—jiu-jitsu, boxing, Muay Thai—judo can be extraordinarily violent. — Bhumika Tharoor, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Japanese jūdō, from jū weakness, gentleness + dō art

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for judo

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

judo

noun

ju·​do ˈjüd-ō 

plural judos

: a sport developed from jujitsu in which opponents attempt to throw each other by using quick movements and leverage