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

The construction of residential towers, an indoor sports arena and an on-campus football stadium in the early 2000s changed UCF’s campus, with the 45,000-seat football stadium at the heart of that. —Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026

The Garden, the usual host of Celtics basketball games and Bruins hockey games in the winter, transformed into an arena full of dirt and bucking chutes. —Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026

The riders get on in a section of the arena called the buck and shoot. —Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026

The operation has drawn reactions from those in the political arena as well as sports figures with close ties to Venezuela. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 3 Jan. 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