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

• auditorium
• amphitheater
• theatre

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 Eagles and Jackson Browne were playing arenas around the world. —Nancy Walecki, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2025

Tour will hit arenas in Chicago, Toronto, Boston, Brooklyn, Nashville, Houston and more before wrapping on Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. —Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 7 Aug. 2025

As scientific methods have advanced, attribution science is another arena of rapid progress. —Carlos Martinez, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2025

The club’s owner, Stan Kroenke, is the majority investor in the Midway Rising project that promises to bring a new arena to the existing Pechanga site. —Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 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