tennis

noun

ten·​nis ˈte-nəs 

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

: court tennis

Examples of tennis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Danni-Elle Townsend, who’s made a solid impression in PPA internationals this year, was upset in the first round by 43-yr old qualifier and eventual Bronze medalist from Japan Rika Fujiwara, a former WTA tennis pro who toured for more than 20 years before retiring from Tennis in 2020. —Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

The space brimmed with mismatched antique sofas, vintage tennis rackets, and a wall display of men’s collared overcoats and baseball caps. —Savannah Hanoum, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2025

Russian tennis star Anna Kalinskaya is pursuing her first Grand Slam singles title of her career while other players on the men’s circuit appear to be going after her. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025

SonyLIV’s sports portfolio also includes UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Bundesliga, ATP tennis, French Open, and Australian Open, alongside cricket bilaterals with England, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025

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

Phrases Containing tennis

• court tennis
• deck tennis
• lawn tennis
• paddle tennis
• platform tennis
• squash tennis
• table tennis
• tennis court
• tennis elbow
• tennis shoe

Rhymes for tennis

• menace

Kids Definition

tennis

noun

ten·​nis ˈten-əs 

: 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