: 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
In the reboot, Jaden starred as Dre, who, after moving from the U.S. to Beijing, runs into some trouble and ends up learning a thing or two about self-defense from Mr. Han (Chan), a kung fu master.
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Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
But instead of red overalls to throw fireballs, Peach is a kung fu martial artist.
—Gene Park, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
But Po, who’s expected to move on as the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, isn’t thrilled to do so, still enamored with the glory and action that comes with being a kung fu fighter.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2024
Kung Fu Panda 4 kept its kung fu grip on the domestic box office, grossing $30 million in its second week of release, bringing its total to $107.7 million, as per Comscore.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 17 Mar. 2024
That included how her costume would move and how much kung fu would be required.
—Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024
In the early 1980s, inspired by his love of Hong Kong kung fu films, particularly those of Jackie Chan, Toriyama created the Dragon Boy series, which tells the story of Tangtong, a young boy with martial arts skills who is tasked with escorting a princess back to her home country.
—Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024
The sci-fi family kung fu adventure would have broken our collective brains if not for Yeoh's heroic and grounded performance.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024
In this new movie, kung fu master Po Ping (voiced by Jack Black) is selected to be the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace and must train a new Dragon Warrior to be his predecessor.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 26 Jan. 2024
Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
But instead of red overalls to throw fireballs, Peach is a kung fu martial artist.
—Gene Park, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
But Po, who’s expected to move on as the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, isn’t thrilled to do so, still enamored with the glory and action that comes with being a kung fu fighter.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2024
Kung Fu Panda 4 kept its kung fu grip on the domestic box office, grossing $30 million in its second week of release, bringing its total to $107.7 million, as per Comscore.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 17 Mar. 2024
That included how her costume would move and how much kung fu would be required.
—Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024
In the early 1980s, inspired by his love of Hong Kong kung fu films, particularly those of Jackie Chan, Toriyama created the Dragon Boy series, which tells the story of Tangtong, a young boy with martial arts skills who is tasked with escorting a princess back to her home country.
—Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024
The sci-fi family kung fu adventure would have broken our collective brains if not for Yeoh's heroic and grounded performance.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024
In this new movie, kung fu master Po Ping (voiced by Jack Black) is selected to be the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace and must train a new Dragon Warrior to be his predecessor.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 26 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kung fu.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Chinese (Beijing) gōngfu skill, art
First Known Use
1870, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near kung fu
Cite this Entry
“Kung fu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kung%20fu. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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More from Merriam-Webster on kung fu
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about kung fu
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