arena

noun are·na \ ə-ˈrē-nə \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of arena

1 : an area in a Roman amphitheater for gladiatorial combats

2 a : an enclosed area used for public entertainment

b : a building containing an arena

3 a : a sphere of interest, activity, or competition

the political arena

b : a place or situation for controversy

in the public arena

See arena defined for English-language learners

See arena defined for kids

Examples of arena in a Sentence

Congress became an arena of opposing views.
the toughest political arena in the world
The economic arena has been dominated by that country.

Recent Examples of arena from the Web

The Danbury arena, meanwhile, has returned to its old existence as a youth rink.

— rich cohen, The Atlantic, "The Mobster Who Bought His Son a Hockey Team," 14 Apr. 2018
As in Oklahoma, the battle is being transferred into the electoral arena, as the Louisville Courier-Journal reports: All 100 seats in the House and half the Kentucky Senate’s 38 seats are on the ballot.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Oklahoma Teachers Win a Partial Victory," 13 Apr. 2018
Instead of dirt tracks, supercross takes place in stadiums and arenas, and includes stunt jumps of up to 70 feet — the distance of two school buses parked end to end.

— cindy atoji keene, BostonGlobe.com, "Motocross racer ‘Jimmy D’ makes the case for his sport," 12 Apr. 2018
The signage went up this morning on the exterior of Quicken Loans Arena, with massive banners and window wraps to displayed all around the arena.

— chris fedor, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers unveil 'Whatever it Takes' playoff slogan," 12 Apr. 2018
In between cheering on the stallions out in the arena, a massive country fair welcomes you to meet the horses, enjoy classic fair eats, and take a ride on the ferris wheel and/or carousel.

— grace dickinson, Philly.com, "Best music, food, and other festivals in Philly this spring," 12 Apr. 2018
This type of gaming has made a quantum leap in recent years as thousands of fans pack arenas, or even stadiums, to watch the virtual action.

— michael shapiro, San Francisco Chronicle, "New e-sports arenas open in Las Vegas and Oakland," 9 Apr. 2018
Six robots at a time would square off in the arena, scrabbling at yellow milk crates and trying to lift them onto a 6-foot teeter totter.

— matthew ormseth, courant.com, "Bot Battle Royale: Robotics Teams Square Off At Hartford Public," 8 Apr. 2018
Alan Gin, University of San Diego YES: Facebook will continue to be a significant force in the social media arena, particularly among the younger people that businesses want to target.

— phillip molnar, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Is Facebook still a good place for businesses?," 6 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arena.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of arena

Latin harena, arena sand, sandy place

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1600

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

arena Synonyms

Synonyms

area, bailiwick, business, circle, department, discipline, domain, element, fief, fiefdom, field, firmament, front, game, kingdom, line, precinct, province, realm, specialty, sphere, terrain, walk;

Related Words

frontier;

study, subject;

territory, turf;

occupation, profession, pursuit, racket, vocation;

ambit, amplitude, breadth, compass, confine, dimension(s), extent, ken, reach, scope, sweep, width;

subfield, subspecialty;

Other Architecture Terms

buttress, casita, cornice, fanlight, garret, lintel, parapet, pilaster, plinth

ARENA Defined for English Language Learners

arena

noun

Definition of arena for English Language Learners

: a building for sports and other forms of entertainment that has a large central area surrounded by seats
: an area of activity, interest, or competition

ARENA Defined for Kids

arena

noun are·na \ ə-ˈrē-nə \

Definition of arena for Students

1 : an enclosed area used for public entertainment

a skating arena

2 : a building containing an enclosed area used for public entertainment

3 : a field of activity

the political arena

History for arena

In ancient Rome gladiators fought in big outdoor theaters. These theaters had a large open space in the middle covered with sand. The Latin word for this space, harena, meant literally “sand.” The English word arena came from this Latin word.