How to Use sumo in a Sentence

sumo

noun
  • Some have pointed out that sumo has not always been so pious.
    — The Economist, 14 Apr. 2018
  • Patience is the name of the game with this sumo squat variation.
    — Brett Williams, Men's Health, 30 Nov. 2022
  • That could be the next step toward growing sumo wrestling in the States.
    — Alyssa Hertel, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2021
  • If that's the case for you, try out the exercise in a sumo stance instead.
    — Tony Gentilcore, Men's Health, 30 Nov. 2022
  • That frees you up to add a little wobble to your lunges, sumo squats, or wide-grip push-ups.
    — Sara Coughlin, SELF, 25 Aug. 2025
  • They were given a stew in the same way that sumo wrestlers are given stews to fatten them up.
    — Ryleigh Nucilli, Outside Online, 22 Nov. 2024
  • Or try a sumo squat, where your stance is wider and toes are turned out, to target your glutes and inner thighs.
    — Jen Murphy, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025
  • Target your thighs all over by doing curtsy lunges, sumo squats, and goblet squats.
    — Women's Health, 1 June 2023
  • Reposition your legs so that your feet land in sumo (wide) squat position.
    — Yolanda Edwards, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 July 2018
  • Early sumo wrestling was a violent affair, often to the death.
    — Jonathan Shipley, Discover Magazine, 12 July 2022
  • Is sumo or conventional stance best for the biggest deadlift pull?
    — Jeff Tomko, Men's Health, 10 Aug. 2022
  • Nabe hot pots, which fuel sumo wrestlers, make hearty meals and can be found in the Ryogoku and Okubo areas.
    — Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2024
  • The smallest sumo wrestler at the World Games wanted to meet the tallest land animal in the world.
    — al, 12 July 2022
  • This month sexist rules in sumo came under fire when female first-aiders attending a sick man were ordered to leave the ring.
    — The Economist, 26 Apr. 2018
  • Lately, they’ve been glued to the sumo-wrestling tournaments that are shown for fifteen days every other month.
    — The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2021
  • The session included everything from sumo squats, to planks, to wide-legged mountain climbers and more.
    — Emily Shiffer, Women's Health, 6 Apr. 2023
  • Even in Japan, professional baseball and sumo wrestling have reopened their doors.
    — David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2021
  • In Japan, most competitive sumo wrestlers are finished by their late 20s.
    — Jeremy Hallock, Dallas News, 23 Sep. 2021
  • Belly bucking is like sumo wrestling, but no hands are allowed and, apparently, no shirts are either.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Nov. 2025
  • In contrast to Japanese sumo, competitors do not score points by muscling an opponent out of the ring.
    — John Leland, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2019
  • Most hurdles around the arena are decorated with a Japanese theme, but none draw eyes like the sumo wrestler.
    — Christian Ortega, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2021
  • Dring tells the story of six men living, eating, playing and wrestling together at an elite sumo wrestling center in Tokyo.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 July 2023
  • With only a single member, Honoka Oba, for the past two years, the sumo club is on the brink of collapse.
    — Jacob Siegal, BGR, 16 Sep. 2022
  • The space itself feels like a big deal, too, down to neon art walls and the giant sumo wrestler sculptures by Shohei Otomo that rule the place.
    — David Hochman, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2022
  • The film is based on the life of Hetal Dave, India’s first professional female sumo wrestler.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 Oct. 2023
  • This is not the first time there have been questions as to whether a high-ranking female official would be allowed to enter the sumo ring, also known as the dohyo.
    — Jay Ganglani, NBC news, 22 Nov. 2025
  • Too many times when the Hall of Fame trainer has stretched the envelope of plausibility the way a sumo does spandex.
    — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, 9 May 2021
  • For five days, the Royal Albert Hall transformed into a dohyō (sumo ring), alive with roaring crowds.
    — Tokyo Halfie, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Dec. 2025
  • Wide Stance Squat The wide stance squat, or sumo squats, effectively targets inner thigh muscles.
    — Sixteen Ramos, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Takaichi is prohibited from entering the ring according to the rules of sumo, which consider women impure.
    — Jay Ganglani, NBC news, 22 Nov. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sumo.' 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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