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

When the pandemic eased, USTA data showed that tennis participation rocketed to more than 27 million players — a number not seen since the tennis boom of the 1970s and early 1980s. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Written by Power and Daniel Sweren-Becker, Love Love follows a struggling tennis phenom who falls for a charismatic local ball boy at the US Open. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026

Players will earn $140,000, largest in tennis history, just for making it into the 128-player singles main draw. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

Along with creating more low- to no-cost tennis events for visitors, the tournament also has expanded its activities and entertainment around the Open. — Nicole Kankam, Sportico.com, 20 Aug. 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