Definition

Noun: 1. A traditional Japanese style of wrestling: A competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler (rikishi) wins by forcing his opponent out of the circular ring (dohyō) or by making any part of his opponent's body other than the soles of his feet touch the ground.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Sumo is Japan's national sport and has a history spanning many centuries.
  • The sumo tournament attracted thousands of fans to the arena.
  • He has studied the rituals and techniques of sumo for years.

Advanced Usage

• "sumo stable" (heya): A training establishment where wrestlers live and train together under a stablemaster ().
  • Young recruits must adapt to the strict life in a sumo stable.
• In a figurative or comparative sense, to describe something as exceptionally large or dominant in a manner reminiscent of the wrestlers.
  • The company is the sumo wrestler of the industry, using its sheer size to dominate the market.

Variants and Related Words

• Sumotori (n): Another term for a wrestler.
  • The veteran sumotori announced his retirement after the tournament.
• Sumoist (n): A less common term for a practitioner of .

Synonyms

• Japanese wrestling: The direct descriptive synonym in English.
• (There are no direct conceptual synonyms, as it is a unique, culturally specific sport.)

Related Phrases

• Enter the ring / dohyō-iri: The ceremonial entrance performed by wrestlers before a tournament day.
• Make the salt throw / shio-maki: The ritual purification act where a wrestler throws salt into the ring before a bout.

Related Idioms

(As a proper noun for a specific sport, *sumo does not commonly feature in idiomatic expressions in English outside of direct references to the sport itself.)*

Noun

1. a Japanese form of wrestling; you lose if you are forced out of a small ring or if any part of your body (other than your feet) touches the ground