arena

noun

are·​na ə-ˈrē-nə 

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

Synonyms of arena

• auditorium
• amphitheater

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 on the Web

Nolan’s entry into this sensitive political arena was painful for indigenous Sahrawi people and their supporters. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 27 Dec. 2025

Two months later, Kaseya won naming rights to the downtown arena where the Miami Heat plays basketball. —Miami Herald, 26 Dec. 2025

Allen Fieldhouse is just one of several possible arenas to be considered if the NBA does shift from Las Vegas to college arenas. —Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025

Another arena where the federal government looms large is on the question of regulating artificial intelligence. —Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 26 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin harena, arena sand, sandy place

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing arena

• arena football
• arena theater

Rhymes for arena

• athena
• cantina
• carina
• carmina
• catena
• czarina
• domina
• equina
• farina
• galena
• glossina
• hyena

Kids Definition

arena

noun

are·​na ə-ˈrē-nə 

1

: an enclosed area used for public entertainment

2

: a building containing an arena

3

: a field of activity

the political arena