tennis

noun

ten·nis ˈte-nəs

often attributive

: 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

: court tennis

Examples of tennis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Olympic tennis will naturally take place here, but its centerpiece – Court Philippe Chatrier – will also play host to boxing bouts. —

Sam Joseph, CNN, 22 July 2024 Nearly 100 years before tennis legend and four-time Olympic gold medalist Serena Williams dared to wear a sleek black catsuit at the French Open, tennis player Suzanne Lenglen caused a stir at Wimbledon in 1919. —

Dina Gachman, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 July 2024 In tennis, the AI system will show the players' reactions to serve, looking at how quickly it is returned, racket position, and accuracy. —

Laura McCreddie-Doak, WIRED, 20 July 2024 Lacoste even decorated the space with archival images from the brand’s tennis past, from founder René Lacoste’s tennis career to the first Lacoste polo. —

Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 19 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for tennis

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tennis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

See more words from the same century