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arena

noun
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are·​na | \ ə-ˈrē-nə How to pronounce arena (audio) \

Definition of arena

1 : an area in a Roman amphitheater for gladiatorial combats
2a : an enclosed area used for public entertainment
b : a building containing an arena
3a : a sphere of interest, activity, or competition the political arena
b : a place or situation for controversy in the public arena
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web On the night of the event, fewer than 150 people were expected to be in the arena, about half the typical number used to stage such a production. — Josh Eidelson, Bloomberg.com, "UFC Bans Fighters From Criticizing its Safety Protocols," 15 May 2020 To my colleagues in the political arena, this is not the time to divide our nation. — Nyasha Chingono And Bukola Adebayo, CNN, "Lesotho's 80-year-old PM says he's no longer 'energetic' and plans to step down," 7 May 2020 At one point, to the delight of thousands in one of the arena tour stops, Obama recalls the sleepover her daughters had with friends the night before the new first family was moving in. — cleveland, "‘Becoming,’ the Michelle Obama documentary, coming to Netflix Wednesday (review)," 5 May 2020 The theatrical unit also has seven Disney on Ice arena tours. — Brooks Barnes, New York Times, "For Disney, a Stricken Empire," 4 May 2020 Coordinated harassment campaigns are used in the political arena to silence journalists, activists, and politicians, among others. — Wired Opinion, Wired, "Texts From Politicians Could Be More Dangerous Than Ever," 4 Apr. 2020 While on his arena tour, Blake had another special surprise guest join him on stage: his girlfriend Gwen Stefani! — Erin Cavoto, Country Living, "Blake Shelton Sang 'Hell Right' With a 5-Year-Old Girl at His Concert and It Was Epic," 14 Mar. 2020 Billboard magazine reported Live Nation’s suspension of arena tours earlier Thursday. — Lucas Shaw And Bloomberg, Fortune, "Live Nation postpones all large shows due to coronavirus," 12 Mar. 2020 Two of the hottest names in Latin pop are uniting for a North American arena tour this fall. — Gary Dinges, USA TODAY, "Latin pop stars Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin are teaming up for an arena tour for the first time," 4 Mar. 2020

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.

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First Known Use of arena

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for arena

Latin harena, arena sand, sandy place

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Time Traveler for arena

Time Traveler

The first known use of arena was in 1600

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Statistics for arena

Last Updated

29 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Arena.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arena. Accessed 29 May. 2020.

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More Definitions for arena

arena

noun
How to pronounce arena (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of arena

: 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

See the full definition for arena in the English Language Learners Dictionary

arena

noun
are·​na | \ ə-ˈrē-nə How to pronounce arena (audio) \

Kids Definition of arena

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on arena

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for arena

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with arena

Spanish Central: Translation of arena

Nglish: Translation of arena for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of arena for Arabic Speakers

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