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

There aren’t many of those to be found in the competitive tennis world. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

But leave the tennis racquet at home — and just bring a laptop. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026

Cycle along the coastline, set sail across the Mediterranean, dive with certified instructors, explore on horseback, or pick up a racket for a game of tennis or padel. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026

The network would eventually depart Grand Central for the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th street (what was once the CBS space in the train terminal is now a tennis club), but the network’s history in the building is the stuff of news lore. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 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