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 player ranks as the world’s number seven, and number one for the U.K. on the ATP tennis list. —Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 9 Apr. 2025

The tennis legend shared her motivational thoughts and overall excitement for the big news at the party hosted in her honor Comments PEOPLE and e.l.f. —Natasha Dye, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025

Agility Balls Repetitions: 30 seconds, repeated three times Video Hold a tennis ball or other small, bouncy ball in front of you near ear level. —Amanda Loudin, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025

Flash floods were reported across the state Friday night into Saturday, particularly in central and north-central Arkansas while parts of western Arkansas dealt with severe hail measuring up to 2.25 inches, or nearly the size of a tennis ball. —Amir Mahmoud, Arkansas Online, 5 Apr. 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