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

Inside a local gymnasium at a community event for fire survivors this fall, surrounded by neighbors who had also lost their livelihoods, Decker broke into tears. —Kyung Lah, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026

Jones students, packed into the school’s gymnasium, learned the news in the morning at the surprise gathering. —Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2026

The grand 43-foot-wide mansion at 323 West 80th Street was once a single-family home — 21 rooms spread across 11,000 square feet with a gymnasium and a solarium, a fountain and a loggia. —Will Ellis, Curbed, 6 Jan. 2026

Stay away from windows and do not go to large open rooms such as cafeterias, gymnasiums, or auditoriums. —Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 5 Jan. 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"