yakuza
noun
ya·ku·za
ˈyä-ku̇-ˌzä 
plural yakuza
1
: a Japanese gangster
2
: an organized crime syndicate in Japan
Examples of yakuza in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Actually, Sato is not always safe in his yakuza family, Chihara-Kai.
—
Demetrius Patterson, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
In this case, a noble yakuza whose careful character development over nearly two decades has earned him, and his game series, a steadily growing base of fans — and endless meme potential.
—Gene Park, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024
This is because the yakuza, or the mob, is known for amputating fingers (although usually pinkies) as punishment.
—Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Washington Post, 14 May 2023
The murderous shoot-out at Club Polina that grievously injured yakuza boss Hitoshi Ishida (Shun Sagata) and killed suave customer Masahiro Ohno (Takayuki Suzuki) still has unanswered questions.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2024
The Last Samurai, practically cornered the Hollywood market on playing yakuza bosses and samurai warriors.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2024
Rick has made enemies of a different yakuza clan, and by interfering with their hit on him, Pearl might just have ignited a deadly gang war.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 27 Feb. 2024
The yakuza, in particular, are rarely presented in any realistic way.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024
Police believed the perpetrators were the yakuza, who were irked by Itami’s portrayal of them as witless bullies outsmarted by a cunning attorney (played by Itami’s actress wife Nobuko Miyamoto, who starred in all of his films) in Minbo.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2023
Demetrius Patterson, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
In this case, a noble yakuza whose careful character development over nearly two decades has earned him, and his game series, a steadily growing base of fans — and endless meme potential.
—Gene Park, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024
This is because the yakuza, or the mob, is known for amputating fingers (although usually pinkies) as punishment.
—Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Washington Post, 14 May 2023
The murderous shoot-out at Club Polina that grievously injured yakuza boss Hitoshi Ishida (Shun Sagata) and killed suave customer Masahiro Ohno (Takayuki Suzuki) still has unanswered questions.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2024
The Last Samurai, practically cornered the Hollywood market on playing yakuza bosses and samurai warriors.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2024
Rick has made enemies of a different yakuza clan, and by interfering with their hit on him, Pearl might just have ignited a deadly gang war.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 27 Feb. 2024
The yakuza, in particular, are rarely presented in any realistic way.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024
Police believed the perpetrators were the yakuza, who were irked by Itami’s portrayal of them as witless bullies outsmarted by a cunning attorney (played by Itami’s actress wife Nobuko Miyamoto, who starred in all of his films) in Minbo.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'yakuza.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Yakuza.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yakuza. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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