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

Now, tennis is built for players with straight-up speed and the ability to switch direction like pinballs bouncing off bumpers. —Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025

Getty Images Five-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz has been spending his days off in New York practicing more than just his tennis. —Manasi Pathak, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

To the average tennis fan, the US Open wildcard pairing of tennis legend Venus Williams and rising star Leylah Fernandez sounded like just another doubles matchup. —Jenna Ryu, SELF, 3 Sep. 2025

Last year, Costner and singer Jewel were photographed on the island at a tennis fundraiser for the Inspiring Children Foundation, an organization started by Jewel, and, according to the Daily Mail, Branson was the matchmaker. —Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025

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

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