SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

judoka

play

noun ju·do·ka \ ˈjü-dō-ˌkä , ˌjü-dō-ˈkä \

Definition of judoka

plural judoka or judokas

:one who participates in judo

Recent Examples of judoka from the Web

Alistair Overeem also stopped Mark Hunt in the third round of an entertaining heavyweight bout at T-Mobile Arena, and Rashad Evans debuted at middleweight with a split-decision upset loss to 39-year-old Australian judoka Daniel Kelly.

— greg beacham, The Denver Post, "Tyron Woodley edges Stephen Thompson, keeps belt in dull fight at UFC 209," 5 Mar. 2017
RIO DE JANEIRO — An Egyptian judoka declined to shake hands with his Israeli opponent after their match on Friday, eliciting jeers from the crowd.

— victor mather, New York Times, "Egyptian Judo Athlete Refuses Handshake After Losing to Israeli," 12 Aug. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'judoka.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of judoka

Japanese jūdōka, from jūdō judo + -ka person

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1949

See Words from the same year

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up judoka? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

shofar

play

a ram's-horn trumpet used in Judaism

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Judith

judo

judoka

Judophobia

Judy

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-59c2960017c94

The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

When you push a meeting, where does it go?

Silent Letters

When each letter can be seen but not heard

alt-59c17b8172892

'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Its origins are surprisingly murky.

alt-59c13729150dc

"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

Nobody is immune to this question.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz

Bee Cubed

Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.

Play the game