arena

noun are·na \ ə-ˈrē-nə \

|Updated on: 11 Jul 2018

Examples: arena in a Sentence

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

Many Americans came to believe that men and women naturally inhabited two separate spheres: men held sway in business, politics, and other public arenas, and women took charge of the home.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "The Wheel, the Woman, and the Human Body," 6 July 2018
But the military is not under civilian oversight and retains an outsized role in the country’s political arena, controlling a quarter of all parliament seats as well as three key ministries.

— timothy mclaughlin, WIRED, "How Facebook’s Rise Fueled Chaos and Confusion in Myanmar," 6 July 2018
This line of thinking is problematic and unfair in any arena, the gym included.

— casey johnston, SELF, "Ask a Swole Woman: Should I Include Gym Machines in My Workout?," 29 June 2018
President Trump is on his way to a hockey arena in Fargo, North Dakota for another rally tonight.

— Fox News, "Schlapp: Trump wants nominee who will uphold Constitution," 28 June 2018
Lil Uzi Vert also made his way to the arena to pay his respects.

— tony centeno, Billboard, "Lil Uzi Vert, PnB Rock, Family Gather to Mourn the Death Of XXXTentacion," 28 June 2018
Before a practice, LaMelo arrived to the arena to find side-by-side photos of him and Borat taped around the locker room.

— andrew joseph, For The Win, "LaMelo Ball lashed out at his Lithuanian teammates after Borat-themed prank," 10 June 2018
The pharmacy school of the University of St. Joseph is on an upper floor of the block, but what most interests CRDA is the atrium and retail space that is outside the main entrance to the XL Center’s arena.

— kenneth r. gosselin, courant.com, "State Senate GOP Leader Weighs Push To Acquire Space At Hartford's XL Center," 31 May 2018
Nor are feelings of boredom and pointless activity confined to the arena of work.

— The Economist, "Are you stuck in a “bullshit job”?," 31 May 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.