ka·ra·te (k?-rä?t?)n. A Japanese martial art in which sharp blows and kicks are administered to pressure-sensitive points on the body of an opponent.[Japanese : kara, empty + te, hand.]ka·ra?te·ist n.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.karate (k??r??t?) n (Judo & Karate) a. a traditional Japanese system of unarmed combat, employing smashes, chops, kicks, etc, made with the hands, feet, elbows, or legsb. (as modifier): a karate chop to the head. [Japanese, literally: empty hand, from kara empty + te hand]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014ka?ra?te (k??r? ti) n. a Japanese method of self-defense using fast, hard blows with the hands, knees, or feet. [1950?55;