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

The spin-off of 2001 hit Shaolin Soccer follows an all-female soccer squad who add martial arts techniques to their game during a major tournament. — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 13 July 2026

During last month's Malaysian competition, athletes and coaches described how the discipline is reshaping perceptions of both martial arts and gaming. — ABC News, 6 July 2026

In the clip, the robot performs exaggerated, erratic movements, raising its arms into a martial arts-style fighting stance before lunging toward people around it. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026

May 17 was chosen to mark the day Lee left Hong Kong and returned to San Francisco at age 18, a pivotal moment that helped launch his acting and martial arts teaching career. — Kassia Bonesteel, CBS News, 1 July 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