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 tennis schedule doesn’t allow for regular trips home. —Abby Aguirre, Vogue, 4 Apr. 2024

Another aspect to the game which the tennis icon looks back on fondly is its fashion. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024

The actors won’t actually smack tennis balls, but the audience will be immersed in the high-stakes game amid video footage of the tennis match and TV commercials that aired in ‘73. —Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024

Warhol went first, covering the canvas with sports imagery like baseball mitts, tennis rackets and sneakers. —Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024

The storms grew from over the weekend, when one particularly intense system dropped tennis ball-sized hail over parts of Illinois, while others caused flash floods throughout the Midwest, according to AccuWeather. —Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024

To test your grip strength at home without a dynamometer, use a bathroom scale or tennis ball to give you rough, trackable measurements. —Dana Santas, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024

American tennis would settle for a U.S.-born star to prove capable of dominating and to be a consistent Grand Slam challenger. —Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2024

After two days of competition featuring 16 of the best tennis teams in the country, Torrey Pines emerged as champion of the 23rd annual National High School All-American Tournament. —Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024

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 court
• tennis elbow
• tennis shoe

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