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

Guests can take advantage of a range of indoor and outdoor amenities, including a fitness center, bowling alley, movie theater, heated swimming pool and tennis and basketball courts. — ABC News, 31 July 2026

Those include boys cross country, wrestling (duals or traditional), tennis and golf and girls cross country, cheerleading (competition or gameday), flag football, tennis and golf. — Chip Saye, AJC.com, 30 July 2026

Kate, a huge tennis fan, presented the trophy to the winner of the women’s tournament, Linda Noskova—a moment captured in the video montage accompanying the post. — Mathilde Engelmann, Vanity Fair, 30 July 2026

Alcaraz, already a seven-time Grand Slam champion at 23, knows what every other tennis player knows. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 30 July 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