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

The company began as a tennis shop before adding gear from other sports, including golf, fishing and badminton. —Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026

Throughout the year, a roster of lively events and social programs brings out members of the community for golf tournaments, tennis clinics, summer concerts, wine tastings, excursions, and more. —Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 4 Feb. 2026

And, as the saying goes, a nanometre is to a tennis ball as a tennis ball is to the whole earth. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026

Spring sport regular seasons got started this week with tennis teams braving the chilly weather. —Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026

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