martial art

noun

: any of several arts of combat and self-defense (such as karate and judo) that are widely practiced as sport

martial artist noun

Examples of martial art in a Sentence

He was trained in the martial arts.

Recent Examples on the Web

Babu, who spent a year preparing for the role, underwent three months of Kalari martial arts training solely to adjust his posture for the character’s period-appropriate bearing. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Feb. 2026

The martial art ended up not making it as an official Olympic sport, but the experience launched Cook into a professional boxing and kickboxing career that took him to competitions around the world, and taught him fear is not a reason to back down. —Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026

The 2026 event celebrates the Year of the Horse with lion dances, folk dances, musical and cultural performances, tai chi and martial arts. —Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Part of his training to become more assertive on the ice was to get on the mat, leaning into offseason martial arts training. —Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for martial art

• counterpart
• apart
• depart
• flowchart
• forepart
• impart
• pushcart
• rampart
• redstart
• restart
• subpart
• sweetheart

Kids Definition

martial art

noun

: any of several arts of combat and self-defense (as karate and judo) that are widely practiced as a sport

martial artist noun