kendo

noun

ken·​do ˈken-(ˌ)dō How to pronounce kendo (audio)
: a Japanese sport of fencing usually with bamboo swords

Examples of kendo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Minutes later, Sheamus returned the favor with some kendo stick shots of his own. Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025 Lynch then found a toolbox and a chair after already slapping her opponent with a kendo stick. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2025 In his own childhood, Hamill, the middle of seven kids with a Navy-captain father, moved often—learning about samurais and kendo in Japan helped prepare him for lightsabre-wielding—and he was encouraged to be practical, too. Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 23 June 2025 Among them, chiefly, was his geographer father, who was also a kendo fighter and a proud Japanese. Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 28 May 2025 And that’s not even touching the thousands of years of study across various Asian sword disciplines, including Japanese kenjutsu and kendo, Chinese jianshu, and Korean kumdo. Samantha Riedel, Them., 1 May 2025 Mia Yim interfered after with a kendo stick, and even after Piper absconded the stick, Yim got the better of Niven. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Japanese kendō, from ken sword + art

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kendo was in 1921

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kendo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kendo. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on kendo

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!