: 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 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 This all ages free event will have traditional and cultural performances like lion and dragon dances, kung fu demonstrations, a lantern parade and classic dance troupes. Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Jan. 2024 Enjoy a Chinese New Year celebration featuring traditional and modern Chinese dancing, kung fu demonstrations, cultural displays and activities and Chinese cuisine. Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2024 Chan will return to the role of Mr. Han, a kung fu master based on Mr. Miyagi, who coached Jaden Smith’s Dre Parker in the 2010 remake movie. Variety, NBC News, 21 Nov. 2023

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

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

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 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

: a Chinese art of self-defense resembling karate

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