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

If access to divorce has removed the net from our tennis game, for the one percent, the proceedings have turned into Sincaraz-level volleys. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026

Within that growth, Nike running, global football, basketball, training, tennis and golf all contributed positively in the quarter. — Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026

Though his childhood was full of beach days, tennis, and football, Zada also loved movies from a young age. — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 2 Oct. 2026

Pegula said tennis provided a therapeutic outlet during the most stressful times. — Jessica Golden,alex Sherman, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026

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 bracelet
• 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