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

That tournament in the past had taken place near the end of the tennis competition, with entrants somewhat dependent on who made it to the latter stages of the singles event or who was willing to stick around. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 24 July 2026

The final score, 6-4 for England, looked more like the first set of a tennis match than a final football tally. — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Designed under Jonathan Anderson—who also worked on the film’s costumes—the head-to-toe look was a playful, fashion-forward nod to the tennis drama. — Amanda Le, InStyle, 23 July 2026

Benoist plays Valerie Simpson, a former tennis star launching a comeback five years after a tragic, mysterious breakdown on center court. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 23 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