gymnasium

noun

gym·​na·​si·​um

sense 1

jim-ˈnā-zē-əm 

-zhəm;

sense 2 is usually

gim-ˈnä-zē-əm 

plural gymnasiums or gymnasia

sense 1

jim-ˈnā-zē-ə 

-zhə;

sense 2 is usually gim-ˈnä-zē-ə

1

a

: a large room used for various indoor sports (such as basketball or boxing) and usually equipped with gymnastic apparatus

b

: a building (as on a college campus) containing space and equipment for various indoor sports activities and usually including spectator accommodations, locker and shower rooms, offices, classrooms, and a swimming pool

2

[German, from Latin, school] : a European secondary school that prepares students for the university

Synonyms of gymnasium

• gym

Examples of gymnasium in a Sentence

since it was raining, the kids had recess in the gymnasium

Recent Examples on the Web

Palisades won its first boys’ basketball title since 1969 after the program played 388 consecutive days without its own gymnasium because of last year’s fire. —Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2026

During a pep rally, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb walked into the gymnasium to a chorus of cheer from the crowd. —Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Feb. 2026

In 1942, Yoshihiro Uchida Hall, which used to be the university’s men’s gymnasium, was used as a registration center for Japanese Americans in Santa Clara County before they were sent to the incarceration camps. —Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2026

Dozens of parents and students packed the Lincoln gymnasium, many voicing strong opposition to the proposal. —Conor McGill, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, exercise ground, school, from Greek gymnasion, from gymnazein to exercise naked, from gymnos naked — more at naked

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

gymnasium

noun

gym·​na·​si·​um jim-ˈnā-zē-əm  -zhəm 

plural gymnasiums or gymnasia

-zē-ə, 

-zhə

: a room or building for sports activities

Etymology

from Latin gymnasium "exercise ground, school," from Greek gymnasion (same meaning), from gymnazein "to exercise naked," from gymnos "naked"