: any of various Chinese martial arts and related disciplines that are practiced especially for self-defense, exercise, and spiritual growth

Examples of kung fu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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What links all these groups is a cultural tradition of wrestling as opposed to striking martial arts like kung fu. Charlie Campbell, TIME, 9 Jan. 2025 Li’s kung fu teacher Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) enlists original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) for help, and Li learns a new way to fight, merging their two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown. Greg Evans, Deadline, 17 Dec. 2024 Tragically, Lee, the martial-arts prodigy who created his own fighting style and helped kung fu movies break through in the West, died unexpectedly six days before Enter the Dragon’s premiere. Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2024 The film is a send-up of just about everything that shaped ’80s pop culture, from hip-hop and sci-fi blockbusters to the decade’s biggest sports stars and kung fu movies. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for kung fu

Word History

Etymology

Chinese (Beijing) gōngfu skill, art

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kung fu was in 1870

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Cite this Entry

“Kung fu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kung%20fu. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

: a Chinese art of self-defense resembling karate

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