samurai

noun

sam·​u·​rai ˈsa-mə-ˌrī 

ˈsam-yə-

plural samurai

1

: a military retainer of a Japanese daimyo practicing the code of conduct of Bushido

2

: the warrior aristocracy of Japan

Examples of samurai in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As in the original, Yaiba is a little samurai boy who has mostly spent time training in the forest with his father. —Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025

Set in Ezo, Japan, in 1603, nearly 330 years after the events of Tsushima, Yotei follows Atsu, a wandering mercenary who is hunting for the Yotei Six, a band of disgraced samurai who killed Atsu’s family years earlier. —Richard Newby, Time, 6 Dec. 2025

If the equivalent story were set in 2025, Marty might be a video game wizard or a sudoku samurai. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025

Saving the finale for spring, the samurai epic proved auteurs could be series unto themselves. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 25 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Japanese

First Known Use

1727, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for samurai

• abscissae
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi
• certify

Kids Definition

samurai

noun

sam·​u·​rai ˈsam-(y)ə-ˌrī 

plural samurai

: a warrior serving a Japanese feudal lord and practicing a code of conduct which valued honor over life