gymnasium

noun gym·na·si·um \ sense 1 jim-ˈnā-zē-əm , -zhəm ; sense 2 is usually gim-ˈnä-zē-əm \

|Updated on: 15 Jul 2018

Definition of gymnasium

plural gymnasiums or gymnasia play \ 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

[German, from Latin, school]

: a European secondary school that prepares students for the university

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Examples of gymnasium in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of gymnasium from the Web

The center emerged from the former YMCA building, with its gymnasium turned into a ballroom with an elaborate staircase suited to events such as the Hat Parade, part of the Derby Day for Education.

— mark davis, kansascity, "Crews clean up flooded Buck O’Neil Research and Education Center after vandals strike," 23 June 2018
Roblox offers a virtual reality world that allows players — think mostly kids around the age of 11 — to do exciting things like eat pizza or avoid dodgeballs in a gymnasium.

— theodore schleifer, Recode, "Roblox, the hit gaming company you may not have heard of, could be worth $2.5 billion," 21 June 2018
CovCath athletes and administrators plan to keep that spirit alive and not rest on their laurels after a school year that will live on in the record books and the banners in the gymnasium.

— james weber, Cincinnati.com, "Covington Catholic athletic director reflects on historic year of 2 state titles,," 19 June 2018
The design option preferred by school officials calls for a new three-story construction with a learning commons/cafeteria, an 8,300-square-foot gymnasium, auditorium, and air conditioning.

— jennifer fenn lefferts, BostonGlobe.com, "School officals holding community forum June 11," 6 June 2018
For example, water would be selected for a classroom to mitigate risk for children, but another material might be chosen for an empty gymnasium when the objective is tearing down a wall to allow a large force to enter as rapidly as possible.

— allison barrie, Fox News, "School shootings: This cannon fires unbelievable ammo to blast through walls and help rescue victims," 31 May 2018
The gymnasiums at Fort Hill Activity Center will be closed for regular activities from 5 p.m. June 27 through July 1.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "National boccia tournament to bring 94 athletes to Naperville," 26 June 2018
Fans packed Glendale High School’s gymnasium in Springfield, Mo., on Dec. 9, 2016.

— josh robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Trae Young loves to prove doubters wrong," 19 June 2018
On Saturday, Lockard slipped on a cap and gown and sat in Circleville’s gymnasium with the rest of the 152 grads.

— allison klein, Washington Post, "93-year-old World War II vet finally gets high school diploma," 29 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gymnasium.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gymnasium

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1598

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

gymnasium Synonyms

Synonyms

gym, health club, health spa, spa;

GYMNASIUM Defined for English Language Learners

gymnasium

noun

Definition of gymnasium for English Language Learners

: a room or building that has equipment for sports activities or exercise

GYMNASIUM Defined for Kids

gymnasium

noun gym·na·si·um \ jim-ˈnā-zē-əm \

Definition of gymnasium for Students

: a room or building for sports events or exercise

Learn More about gymnasium

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for gymnasium Spanish Central: Translation of gymnasium Nglish: Translation of gymnasium for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gymnasium

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