How to Use sensei in a Sentence

sensei

noun
  • Me and Otis, that’s like my sensei.
    — Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Sometimes the student has to one day show the sensei who the boss is.
    — Joey Hayden, Dallas News, 19 Jan. 2020
  • That was the sort of thing only Michiko-sensei could come out with.
    — Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Salama is a full time karate sensei, or teacher, with his own dojo.
    — NBC News, 23 Nov. 2019
  • Bennett seems as if he were born for the job as the world’s friendliest running sensei.
    — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2019
  • The phone call from my sensei guide confirmed that impression.
    — Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 12 Mar. 2020
  • Everybody would mimic him—a karate kick or a Miyagi sensei thing.
    — Alex Prewitt, SI.com, 1 May 2018
  • The 27-year-old doesn’t have to be the victory-teaching sensei anymore.
    — Sean Collins, Dallas News, 11 Feb. 2021
  • He's got a lot more to do this time around than be a jerk, as does Martin Kove, who reprises his role as the mean sensei.
    — Star Tribune, 3 Sep. 2020
  • My sensei explained only by moving my hips back and keeping my arms straight would the nirvana of a wheelie be attained.
    — Peter Rubin, WIRED, 22 Oct. 2012
  • It was run by Luis Ruiz, who remains Wasowicz’s sensei, or coach.
    — New York Times, 16 July 2021
  • The sensei’s quarterback, Jackson Brousseau, got sacked six times.
    — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Del Toro plays Bob’s sensei and teaches him how to live without fear — and pushes him out of a speeding car.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Ishiguro-sensei becomes a source of fascination; he is transformed from a researcher to the man who made his copy.
    — Alex Mar, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2017
  • Use sensei instead of san for a teacher, doctor, or other type of professional.
    — Sophie Friedman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Feb. 2018
  • Qi finally meets the old sensei, who fights on even after he's forced to send his underlings scurrying to safety, and the elder puts up a hell of a fight.
    — John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 June 2017
  • Thornton should center the Sharks third line, serving as sensei to young linemates and helping to drive the second powerplay unit.
    — Brian Ricks, The Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2019
  • Coming across a young boy getting bullied, Johnny fights off the attackers, who happen to be high school kids — and a sensei and his student are born.
    — Joe Toreno, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2022
  • Like some sort of strategy sensei, Fehr and Carlson helped Beagle along and then released him into the world.
    — Alex Prewitt, SI.com, 12 Dec. 2017
  • The Iron Dragons sensei took the first two points in the best-of-three matchup as Daniel’s usual pep talks didn’t work on Johnny.
    — Skyler Trepel, People.com, 15 Feb. 2025
  • Of course, Fitzpatrick was never far from the action, hovering near the edge of the field and close to Saban, the secondary sensei.
    — Rainer Sabin, AL.com, 5 Nov. 2017
  • The sensei’s book reveals a few secrets, though certainly none of such magnitude; in fact, few career anecdotes are included.
    — Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 14 June 2023
  • Gru’s two youngest daughters join a karate class led by an inexplicably hostile sensei (Brad Abelson).
    — Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2024
  • The Karate Kid alum reprises his role for Cobra Kai's final season as the sensei of a rival dojo.
    — Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 1 July 2024
  • While the fictional sensei is benevolent, Constantine — C — was (and is) clearly not.
    — Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2023
  • Casey Marie Jones, the daughter of April O'Neil and Casey Jones, became their sensei.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Feb. 2026
  • One of their students is the 18-year-old granddaughter of Iglesias’ sensei, Roberto Sanchez.
    — Miami Herald, 26 June 2026
  • The outlet reported that the comedy film was set to center a group of nerds learning martial arts and follow the relationship that forms between the students and their karate sensei.
    — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
  • Eisenberg plays a man who is attacked on the street and enlists in a dojo — led by a charismatic and mysterious sensei (Nivola) — in an effort to learn how to defend himself.
    — Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 24 Oct. 2017
  • Why my kendo experience will stick with me My sensei, a jovial middle-aged man who wore a puffer vest and Minion socks, became a gruff Kendo master once his white armor was laced up.
    — Carly Mallenbaum, USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sensei.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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