ninja

plural ninjas

1. historicalgovernmentOne trained in ninjutsu, especially one used for espionage, assassination, and other tasks requiring stealth during Japan's shogunate period.

   He used to work in the Japanese agency as a ninja.

   2 more examples

   The men... are now learning to be ninja or ‘stealers-in’.

   1964, Ian Fleming, You Only Live Twice, page 126

   Spies prowled Japan from the seventh century, but the secretive ninja left few written records.

   2000 October 15, Denver Post, page 10

   Synonyms: assassin, shinobi, spy

2. figurativelyOne who very skillful, considered similar to the historical ninja, especially in covert or stealthy operation.

   A JavaScript ninja should write lots of code and build things!

   2017, Darren Jones, JavaScript: Novice to Ninja, SitePoint, →ISBN

   3 more examples

   For months the Japanese spoke of national-security adviser Henry Kissinger as a ninja—the magician of Japanese legends who performs supernatural acts and practices sorcery.

   1972 September 11, Newsweek, Int'l edition, page 28

   Other bankers are dubbing themselves ninja, modern-day descendants of the superspies of 17th century samurai houses.

   1987 August 3, Business Week, page 40

   Young banking and securities firms executives (nicknamed the ninja...) are especially assigned to cultivate relations with the finance ministry. Only verbal instructions are ever given to the ninja.

   1991 August 4, The Guardian, page 13

   Synonyms: killer, spy, superspy, magician, secret agent

   1. figurativelyin pluralslanglifestyleA notional draconian arm of a corporation (originally Nintendo), tasked with dealing with individuals that infringe on its rights or do not comply with its regulations.

      I had TOTK running on my pc 2 weeks before it released on the switch and I'm still here. They can send the ninjas, I'm waiting.

      2024 January 23, @tetsuo_88, X (post)

      1 more example

      eNintendo ninjas were inside the discord, watching. Now all the Yuzu devs have turned over all electronic devices, websites, logs...

      2024 March 5, @HikikomoriMedia, X (post)

      Synonyms: killer, spy, superspy, magician, secret agent

   2. datedfigurativelyinformalcomputingA programmer or tech worker, particularly one skilled in a particular programming language or environment; used especially in job adverts.

      A ninja developer can take advantage of this when building large software systems, adding a bit of C# and a dabble of Python.

      2008, MSDN Magazine

      2 more examples

      If you're a Linux ninja, this book still gives you a solid reference on the Raspberry Pi and the version of Linux it uses, but no prior Linux knowledge is required.

      2014 November 3, Sean McManus, Raspberry Pi For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 5

      But in a trawl of British job adverts in 2019, Bartleby found requests for "a call-centre ninja", "a black-belt prioritisation ninja" and one post demanding "a ninja-like attention to detail ".

      2024 May 7, Philip Coggan, Surviving the Daily Grind: Bartleby's Guide to Work, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN

      Synonyms: killer, spy, superspy, magician, secret agent

3. figurativelyOne who is considered to resemble the historical ninja in some way.

   Yen buyers were more subdued... fearing the Bank of Japan's new strategy of covert intervention to buy U.S. dollars through agent banks—described by some as the central bank's ninjas or secret agents.

   2003 February 21, Business Times

   1 more example

   He immediately suspected they were ninjas because, he said, they were dressed in black and wore masks, trademarks of the mysterious assassins who have been sowing terror across East Java in recent months.

   1998 December 28, Chicago Tribune, page 1

   1. figurativelyhistoricalslangAn amateur private miner in Mongolia.

      Many were former nomads, but as the gold rush gathered pace, students, vets and taxi drivers from Ulan Bator joined the ninjas, not just in Ogoomor but in other gold towns across the country.

      2007 October 10, Jonathan Watts, “Prospectors and 'Ninja' Miners Flood to East's El Dorado”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC

4. euphemisticAfrican-American VernacularSynonym of nigga, used as a friendly term of address.

   What's up, ninjas?

   2003, Steven Ayromlooi, Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood, spoken by LEPRECHAUN

   1 more example

   I'm thicker than a Snicker, I'm thicker than your ninja!

   2024, “BBL Drizzy”, King Willonius (lyrics)

   Synonyms: nigga, used as a friendly term of address

   1. euphemisticAfrican-American Vernacular; Juggalo slang; Juggalo slangSynonym of man; used as a friendly term of address.

      What up, my ninja!

      Synonyms: man

5. ethniceuphemisticoffensiveslurSynonym of nigger.

   Synonyms: nigger

1. informalnot comparableFast and sneaky.

   […]no one else would even know of such a stealthy ninja steal.

   2026 January 6, James Stellar, The Long History of the Short Life of Clarice, Gatekeeper Press, →ISBN

   3 more examples

   After Marshall fell asleep Elisa eventually jumped into the bed with me while I was turned facing away from her. She was very ninja about it as she put it.

   2011, Cory Cantrell, Love and Video Games the Story of a Gamer, Lulu.com, →ISBN

   With a meager budget, the decision was made to go to a new construction site after dark to borrow some needed lumber. The ninja theft went as planned.

   2017 January 25, Lloyd Amstrup, Found Treasure: Gems of Great Leadership and Personal Skills, iUniverse, →ISBN

   Double entrapments thus take place in Judah's move: Judah turned Tamar's father's home into a trap for Tamar, and he also trapped Shelah in Bathshua's home. Would Bathshua have approved of Judah's ninja move?

   2021 October 4, Jione Havea, Losing Ground: Reading Ruth in the Pacific, SCM Press, →ISBN

present singular third person ninjas · participle present ninjaing · participle past ninjaed · past ninjaed · participle past ninja'd · past ninja'd

1. ambitransitiveTo act or move like a ninja, particularly with regard to a combination of speed, power, and stealth.

   In our dark house we were ninja-ing around with water guns.

   1996 April 23, Rocky Mountain News, page 5

   2 more examples

   I leapt up, ninja'd over to Gav's bed and wheeched the duvet off.

   1992, Iain Banks, Crow Road, page 160

   I ninja'd my way into Kung Fu Records to hang out with those merry pranksters the Vandals.

   2002 August 29, Los Angeles Times, page 48

2. Internetto beat someone to a post; to make the same reply just before the other party finishes typing, making their response redundant.

   When I hit post, I saw that Blue Emu had ninja'd me, so I just deleted my reply.

3. InternetslanggamesTo claim an item through abuse of game mechanics.

   That damn warrior ninja'd an epic-quality wand even though he can't even use it!

1. abbreviationinitialismnot comparablebusinessInitialism of no income, no job or assets, describing credit characteristics of a borrower, usually of a residential mortgage.

plural Ninjas

1. An anti-government Bakongo rebel, active in Pool Department, Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville).

   The Ninjas were loyal to former Prime Minister Bernard Kolelas, the father of Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas, who stood in the presidential election in March and got 15% of the vote.

   2016 June 4, “Congo-Brazzaville: Attacks blamed on Ninja militia group”, in BBC

   2 more examples

   To punish a population seen as Ninja sympathisers, the government last year effectively sealed off the entire region and barred all aid, turning Pool into a blank space on the humanitarian map.

   2003 December 7, Rory Carroll, “Apocalyptic rebel movement revisits Congo's heart of darkness”, in the Guardian

   While the last major clashes were in 2003 in Pool — a southern region between the capital Brazzaville and the port city of Pointe Noire — Ninjas had continued to roam the region, robbing civilians and hijacking trains to the oil-rich coast.

   2007 August 10, Christian Tsoumou, “Congo's Ninja rebels burn weapons and pledge peace”, in Reuters