banzai

[ bahn-zahy, bahn-; Japanese bahn-dzah-ee ]
See synonyms for banzai on Thesaurus.com
interjection
  1. (used as a Japanese patriotic cry or joyous shout.)

  2. (used as a Japanese battle cry.)

adjective
  1. leading to likely or inevitable death; suicidal: a banzai attack by Japanese troops in the last days of World War II.

Origin of banzai

1
1890–95; <Japanese, equivalent to ban ten thousand + -zai, combining form of sai years of age (<Middle Chinese, akin to Chinese wàn-suì,Korean manse)

Words that may be confused with banzai

Words Nearby banzai

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use banzai in a sentence

  • Forward went the line, until every man had been smitten down, and the last brave throat had shouted its last shrill "banzai!"

  • Our long-drawn, serpent-like regiment, sent off with the hearty and sincere banzai of the people, began to move on step by step.

    Human Bullets | Tadayoshi Sakurai
  • banzai was shouted two or three times; joy and congratulation resounded on the heights of Kenzan, which was now virtually ours.

    Human Bullets | Tadayoshi Sakurai
  • I have been carrying this bottle in my belt since yesterday, to drink a banzai in the enemys position.

    Human Bullets | Tadayoshi Sakurai
  • The imperial colors waved high above our new camp, and the banzai of rejoicing arose like surges of the sea!

    Human Bullets | Tadayoshi Sakurai

British Dictionary definitions for banzai

banzai

/ (ˈbɑːnzaɪ, bɑːnˈzaɪ) /


interjection
  1. a patriotic cheer, battle cry, or salutation

Origin of banzai

1
Japanese: literally, (may you live for) ten thousand years

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012