tennis

noun

ten·​nis ˈte-nəs 

often attributive

1

: an indoor or outdoor game that is played with rackets and a light elastic ball by two players or pairs of players on a level court (as of clay or grass) divided by a low net

2

: court tennis

Examples of tennis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Testimony by tennis legend John McEnroe, who was seated in front of Oakley, plays a central role in MSG’s argument. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 June 2025

Brady’s Super Bowl rings, Muhammad Ali’s gloves, Tiger Woods’ golf ball from his first Masters win, equipment used by tennis legends like Billie Jean King and Serena Williams. —Don Yaeger, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025

She’s also become part of a group of young female tennis players who are having fun with fashion. —Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 9 June 2025

Ride went to Stanford to study physics; O’Shaughnessy joined the first-ever professional women’s tennis circuit, the Virginia Slims. —Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 9 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tenetz, tenys, perhaps borrowed from Anglo-French tenez, 2nd person plural imperative of tenir "to hold" — more at tenant entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing tennis

• court tennis
• deck tennis
• lawn tennis
• paddle tennis
• platform tennis
• squash tennis
• table tennis
• tennis court
• tennis elbow
• tennis shoe

Rhymes for tennis

• menace

Kids Definition

tennis

noun

ten·​nis ˈten-əs 

: a game played with rackets and a light elastic ball by two players or two pairs of players on a level court divided by a low net