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

At this year's event, held at Pura Padel, Holland participated with other BERO higher-ups in a friendly tournament of padel, a racquet sport that's probably best described as a combination of squash and tennis. —Charles Trepany, USA Today, 1 May 2026

This year’s Miami Grand Prix has been more of a logistical miracle than any other year because its spot on the Hard Rock Stadium calendar is snuggled tightly between the Miami Open tennis tournament and World Cup soccer. —Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026

People know there’s live tennis on. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2026

One day after leading the Lake Nona girls tennis team to a historic FHSAA Class 4A team title, sophomore Ashley Narath and senior Aspen Wooten put the icing on the cake by winning the individual singles and doubles championships on Wednesday. —Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026

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 bracelet
• 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