noun
ninja
NIHND-zhuh
noun
1
Historically, a covert agent in feudal Japan trained in stealth, espionage, and combat.
"The museum exhibit displayed weapons once used by real ninja."
2
(informal) Someone highly skilled at moving unnoticed or acting with great speed and precision.
"She snuck out of the meeting like a ninja."
"He's a total spreadsheet ninja — nobody in the office can match his speed."
verb
1
(informal, internet) To beat someone to posting a reply, making their almost-finished response redundant.
"I was about to answer, but you ninja'd me."
How to Use Ninja
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA stealthy historical Japanese agent, or informally, anyone impressively fast, sneaky, or skilled.
Common pairings
ninja skills
code ninja
ninja star
Word Forms
ninjaed past tense, ninja'd past tense, ninja plural, ninjas plural, Ninjas plural, ninjas singular
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Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese ninja (忍者), popularized in the West largely through films and novels of the late 20th century.