SINCE 1828
jujitsu
noun
ju·jit·su
variants:
or less commonly jujutsu
or jiujitsu \ jü-ˈjit-(ˌ)sü 
\
\
Definition of jujitsu
: an art of weaponless fighting employing holds, throws, and paralyzing blows to subdue or disable an opponent
Examples of jujitsu in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On that point, some believe Ms. Warren’s DNA ploy was actually a clever act of jujitsu against her 2020 Democratic rivals, especially Sens. — Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, "Megyn Kelly, Elizabeth Warren and PC Power," 26 Oct. 2018 Step 3: Put the Focus on Trump The political jujitsu these men pulled off was a reversal of the reason for Mr. Trump’s visit. — Michael C. Bender, WSJ, "‘Never In My Wildest Dreams’: GOP Candidates Find Key to Winning Trump’s Strong Praise," 4 Aug. 2018 The excellent if underused Michael K. Williams shows off a few jujitsu moves as Priest’s longtime supplier, while Esai Morales takes the story briefly south of the border as a ruthless drug lord. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "'Superfly' is a flashy, violent and fitfully compelling remake of the 1972 blaxploitation hit," 12 June 2018 Lovato flips her trainer Danielle Martin thanks to her six days a week MMA training schedule, which is made up of boxing, Muay Thai, ground fighting, and Brazilian jujitsu workouts. — Leah Prinzivalli, SELF, "The Best Workouts of 2017, According to Celebs," 26 Dec. 2017 Demi Lovato recently got her blue belt in Brazilian jujitsu. — Anton Corbijn, Vogue, "Meet the Self Defense Workouts With a Message of Empowerment for Women," 20 Dec. 2017 Twist my arm: Is jujitsu-style training really what police officers need in order to be less dangerous in the field? — Rebecca Onion, Slate Magazine, "The Angle: Saddest Story Edition," 10 Aug. 2017 Practitioners, medical experts and behaviorists say karate, taekwondo and Brazilian jujitsu are powerful tools, teaching children to stay calm, keeping them fit, helping them focus and building their confidence. — Yvonne Wenger, Washington Post, "Martial arts program seeks to provide confidence, focus to boys living in a troubled neighborhood," 26 Oct. 2017 The San Antonio Spurs team that beat the Heat in 2014 couldn’t have existed without their own salary-cap jujitsu. — Ben Cohen, WSJ, "How Kevin Durant Made the Biggest Move in NBA Free Agency—Again," 5 July 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'jujitsu.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on jujitsu
What made you want to look up jujitsu? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
What did you just call me?! A Quiz
-
- If a member of the audience describes your speech as bombastic, does that person mean it is:
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share jujitsu
Resources for jujitsu