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 Maestrellis have also purchased the adjacent tennis club and are planning to revamp it and incorporate it into the hotel. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026

Closing ceremony tickets have been listed for as much as $7,900 for two seats, while tickets to a tennis final have topped $11,000 on some sites. —Amy Corral, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026

Fast-forward to today and the buzz about Camila Giorgi making her return to tennis is picking up. —Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026

Smitten fans on social media would agree that Kim does indeed make tennis look good. —Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 23 Apr. 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 bracelet
• 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