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
The cocktail gets its name from the legendary African samurai who served in 16th century Japan.
—
Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 22 Apr. 2025
Plot and character details are being kept hidden amid the cherry blossoms, but the project is being described as a corporate thriller with a samurai twist.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2025
In the past year, fewer games have endured more relentless criticism than Assassin’s Creed Shadows, spearheaded by the all-too-familiar anti-woke, anti-DEI movement that now makes up most of the federal government, mainly for including black samurai Yasuke in the game.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Ubisoft’s next-gen murder simulator whisks you away to feudal Japan where the sturdy samurai Yasuke and nimble ninja Naoe seemingly split the difference between contemporary RPG and retro stealth playstyles.
—Jordan Minor, PCMAG, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for samurai
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 22 Apr. 2025
Plot and character details are being kept hidden amid the cherry blossoms, but the project is being described as a corporate thriller with a samurai twist.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2025
In the past year, fewer games have endured more relentless criticism than Assassin’s Creed Shadows, spearheaded by the all-too-familiar anti-woke, anti-DEI movement that now makes up most of the federal government, mainly for including black samurai Yasuke in the game.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Ubisoft’s next-gen murder simulator whisks you away to feudal Japan where the sturdy samurai Yasuke and nimble ninja Naoe seemingly split the difference between contemporary RPG and retro stealth playstyles.
—Jordan Minor, PCMAG, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for samurai
Cite this Entry
“Samurai.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/samurai. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share