gymnasium

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

Definition of gymnasium

plural gymnasiums or -nasia 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 storm and its aftermath don’t just mean extra summer days, of course—many children will return to schools that have suffered significant structural damage, such as broken windows, flooded gymnasiums, and totaled classroom supplies.

— hayley glatter, The Atlantic, "How Schoolchildren Will Cope With Hurricane Harvey," 30 Aug. 2017
Not long after, Smith strolled into another gymnasium in the San Diego area.

— mike tierney, New York Times, "Iron Mike Smith Rides Less to Make More," 17 Aug. 2017
After signing in, visitors were taken in small groups to visual presentation boards set up inside the school's multipurpose auditorium/gymnasium.

— allan vought, The Aegis, "Open house on controversial Mason-Dixon power line project draws robust crowd," 10 Aug. 2017
The shows were free and filled local school gymnasiums where most performances were held, in many cases attracting over 6,000 people.

— nancy stearns theiss, The Courier-Journal, "'You’re at Home on the L&N' reminiscent of rail travel," 17 July 2017
Rucker Area Job Fair will happen Thursday, July 27 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Enterprise High School gymnasium.

— william thornton wthornton@al.com, AL.com, "Job fairs scheduled for Opelika, Enterprise this month," 17 July 2017
This was not the former Louisville star's attempt at reliving his glory days; the 6-foot hoop in the Middletown Christian Church gymnasium posed no real challenge to Hancock.

— danielle lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Former Louisville star Luke Hancock puts spotlight on autism with basketball clinic," 15 July 2017
Elite Basketball Camp set The third annual Elite Basketball Camp, conducted by Glendale High boys' basketball coach Ib Belou, will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday at Glendale High’s gymnasium, 1440 E. Broadway, Glendale.

— staff reports, Glendale News-Press, "Sports Briefs: UFC shot a possibility for "Fearless" Fighter," 14 July 2017
Last month, a day after the city turned residents away from a forum on the future of Jackson Park because of limited seating, hundreds of residents packed a Woodlawn gymnasium to hammer out their first set of demands.

— manya brachear pashman, chicagotribune.com, "South Side community activists push for economic promises from Obama center," 10 July 2017

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

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gymnasium Synonyms

Synonyms

gym, health club, health spa, spa

Related Words

arena, bowl, coliseum, colosseum, stadium

GYMNASIUM Defined for English Language Learners

gymnasium

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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

play

noun gym·na·si·um \ jim-ˈnā-zē-əm \

Definition of gymnasium for Students

:a room or building for sports events or exercise

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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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