hara-kiri
noun
ˌha-ri-ˈkir-ē 
ˌher-i-,
-ˈka-rē
-ˈker-ē
variants
or less commonly hari-kari
1
: ritual suicide by disembowelment practiced by the Japanese samurai or formerly decreed by a court in lieu of the death penalty
2
Examples of hara-kiri in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The film depicts the historical ‘Honno-ji Incident’ from 1582, when a key vassal of Oda Nobunaga rose in revolt and caused his master to commit hara-kiri in Kyoto.
—
Mark Schilling, Variety, 17 Apr. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Mark Schilling, Variety, 17 Apr. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near hara-kiri
Cite this Entry
“Hara-kiri.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hara-kiri. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share