sensei

noun

Save Word

sen·sei | \ ˈsen-ˌsā

plural sensei or senseis

Definition of sensei

: a teacher or instructor usually of Japanese martial arts (such as karate or judo)

Examples of sensei in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Based on the teaser clip, Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny (William Zabka) aren't going to have an easy time blending their two very different sensei styles. — Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 25 Sep. 2021 As co-founder of the Cobra Kai dojo along with John Kreese (Martin Kove), Silver quickly went from Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Maccio) sensei to his opponent in 1989’s Karate Kid III. — Cydney Lee, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2021 It was run by Luis Ruiz, who remains Wasowicz’s sensei, or coach. — New York Times, 16 July 2021 The phone call from my sensei guide confirmed that impression. — Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 12 Mar. 2020 Starting his replacement - 18-year-old Ilaix Moriba - has not been ruled out, however, and the La Masia graduate earned plaudits for his humility when publicly thanking Koeman for his assist-generating cameo like a uchi-deshi to his sensei. — Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2021 Daniel, a Black kid raised in Newark in the eighties, does not need to learn karate in order to kick the asses of every single member of the Cobra Kai dojo, including the sensei. — Carlos Greaves, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2021 The 27-year-old doesn’t have to be the victory-teaching sensei anymore. — Sean Collins, Dallas News, 11 Feb. 2021 There’s also Brynn Wallner, who worked on the editorial team at Sotheby’s and is a millennial sensei of all things horography. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sensei.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.