tennis

noun

ten·nis ˈte-nəs

often attributive

: 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

: court tennis

Examples of tennis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The tennis icon was once rumored to be an ex-girlfriend of Drake, which, considering Lamar’s current feud with the rap star, would be seen as another diss. —

William Earl, Variety, 10 Feb. 2025 While fans are still breaking down everything that happened on the stage, Stephen A. Smith offered his review of the show, which included a surprise appearance from tennis icon Serena Williams that shocked the world. —

Regina Cho, VIBE.com, 10 Feb. 2025 Having lost a close first set against Krueger, Bencic responded in impressive fashion by playing more aggressive tennis and breaking her opponent’s serve five times over the next two sets. —

George Ramsay, CNN, 9 Feb. 2025 The pro tennis player, 44, was spotted getting cozy with actor Andrea Preti, 36, outside of a tennis training session in Rome — while wearing a sparkling diamond ring on her left hand. —

Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 7 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for tennis

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of tennis was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century