1
: an area in a Roman amphitheater for gladiatorial combats
2
a
: an enclosed area used for public entertainment
b
: a building containing an arena
3
a
: a sphere of interest, activity, or competition
the political arena
b
: a place or situation for controversy
in the public arena
Examples of arena in a Sentence
Congress became an arena of opposing views.
the toughest political arena in the world
The economic arena has been dominated by that country.
Recent Examples on the Web
There are a handful of moments where synthesized washes burble and soar, the net effect of arena lights splashing onto a crowd of thousands.
—
Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2025
Anderson, who is dyslexic, did not have the patience or the attention span for traditional academics, and his earliest arena for artistic expression was in drama.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
The arena is thankfully empty, but her sketched facade hangs from every pole.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 16 Mar. 2025
The university even boasts a state-of-the-art esports arena.
—Scott White, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arena
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Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2025
Anderson, who is dyslexic, did not have the patience or the attention span for traditional academics, and his earliest arena for artistic expression was in drama.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
The arena is thankfully empty, but her sketched facade hangs from every pole.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 16 Mar. 2025
The university even boasts a state-of-the-art esports arena.
—Scott White, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arena
Cite this Entry
“Arena.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arena. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
arena
noun
are·na
ə-ˈrē-nə 
1
: an enclosed area used for public entertainment
2
: a building containing an arena
3
: a field of activity
the political arena
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