tennis

noun

ten·​nis ˈte-nəs How to pronounce tennis (audio)
often attributive
1
: an indoor or outdoor game that is played with rackets and a light elastic ball by two players or pairs of players on a level court (as of clay or grass) divided by a low net
2

Examples of tennis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Wimbledon’s already feeding tennis lingo into its own AI. Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025 Highlights from the 23-year-old professional tennis player’s career thus far include a semifinal match at the 2024 Wimbledon tennis tournament and a recent semi-final at the 2025 French Open, against eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain. Julia Teti, Footwear News, 1 July 2025 The age rule was adopted in 1995 in response to Jennifer Capriati, a teenage tennis phenomenon who struggled with the pressure of competition at such a young age. Skyler Caruso, People.com, 1 July 2025 The 21-year-old tennis phenom dropped her first round of the Wimbledon Championships on Tuesday in straight sets to Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1. Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for tennis

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tenetz, tenys, perhaps borrowed from Anglo-French tenez, 2nd person plural imperative of tenir "to hold" — more at tenant entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of tennis was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Tennis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tennis. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

tennis

noun
ten·​nis ˈten-əs How to pronounce tennis (audio)
: a game played with rackets and a light elastic ball by two players or two pairs of players on a level court divided by a low net

More from Merriam-Webster on tennis

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