ninja

American  

[nin-juh] / ˈnɪn dʒə /

noun

plural

ninja, ninjas

1. (often initial capital letter) a member of a feudal Japanese society of mercenary agents highly trained in martial arts and stealth ninjutsu, who were hired for covert purposes ranging from espionage to sabotage and assassination.

2. a person who is expert or highly skilled in a specified field or activity (often used attributively).

   marketing ninjas; ninja programmers.

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verb (used with object)

ninjaed, ninjaing

1. Slang. Also ninja loot (in a video game) to unfairly claim (valuable items or loot) from a treasure pool by taking them from a kill made by another player or bypassing the agreed-upon system for loot distribution in a group.

   When I ninja an epic item, I log off the server before anyone even realizes what happened.

ninja British  

/ ˈnɪndʒə /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) a person skilled in ninjutsu, a Japanese martial art characterized by stealthy movement and camouflage

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Etymology

Origin of ninja

First recorded in 1960–65; from Japanese, equivalent to nin- “endure” + -ja, combining form of -sha “person, agent” (from Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese rěn + zhě )

Example Sentences

I plant my feet far apart, knees bent, and stand like a ninja trying to hold my balance between the three cans of paint we just bought and Dad’s Rubbermaid tub of painting supplies.

From Literature

“It makes me feel like a ninja,” said Kannenberg, who lives in Chicago’s suburbs.

From The Wall Street Journal

The setup of this animated film sounds like a gag: A Viking, a ninja and a World War II pilot are thrown into a Predator movie that plays like a grisly triptych.

From Los Angeles Times

"Background actors are like ninjas, and only ninjas can determine who else is a good ninja," Amaya told AFP.

From Barron's

“He’s like a ninja when he wants to be. Hopefully, you can meet him next time. Come on. My room’s this way.”

From Literature