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

And yet, the crew was in the moon’s gravitational arena, where its gravity dominates Earth’s. —Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026

This was at Madison Square Garden, the same arena where, some 11 months ago, Tatum suffered a right Achilles tear in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026

As prices soar across stadiums and arenas nationwide, Augusta National — home of the Masters golf tournament — is once again standing out for its low prices. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026

Ticketmaster dominates sales for amphitheaters and arenas but not other venue types such as sports stadiums, theaters and clubs. —Leah Nylen, Bloomberg, 9 Apr. 2026

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