brown belt

noun

, Martial Arts.

1. a brown cloth waistband conferred upon a participant in one of the martial arts, as judo or karate, to indicate an intermediate rank.
2. a person who has attained this rank.
3. the rank itself.

Word History and Origins

Origin of brown belt¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Sy earned a brown belt in karate, and Cardoza, who does indeed do the crane kick, was a competitive figure skater for 15 years.

From New York Times

A poised taekwondo brown belt who is home-schooled, she had been a competitive speller since age 6, and at 10 she had come to the bee and tied for 51st place.

From Washington Post

And there was the amazing and lucky passenger pool, among them a black belt in judo, a brown belt in karate, a national rugby champion, two wrestlers, a weightlifter, a bungee jumper, an all-star field hockey player, a sky diver and an amateur pilot.

From Los Angeles Times

Elkin, 35, a Brazilian jujitsu brown belt, was hardly the toughest opponent that the PFL had to offer.

From Washington Post

Elkin, a brown belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, now has a record of three wins and seven losses in MMA and has lost her past four fights.

From BBC