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

His mom, Elsa, once played on the Miami Hurricanes women’s tennis team, according to USA Today. — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026

Elle Fanning brought a soft summer palette to Wimbledon on Wednesday while attending The Championships, Grand Slam tennis tournament in London. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 9 July 2026

Elyse Roberts, a tennis player and daily gym-goer, told the Post that keeping a cold plunge and sauna next to her home gym was important. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026

Rafa director Zach Heinzerling got word his Netflix series about tennis great Rafael Nadal had earned an Emmy nomination while in a most appropriate locale – Centre Court at Wimbledon. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 9 July 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