gymnasium
1 Americannoun
-
a building or room designed and equipped for indoor sports, exercise, or physical education.
-
a place where Greek youths met for exercise and discussion.
noun
noun
-
a large room or hall equipped with bars, weights, ropes, etc, for games or physical training
-
(in various European countries) a secondary school that prepares pupils for university
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of gymnasium1
1590–1600; < Latin: a public school for gymnastics < Greek gymnásion gymnastic school (derivative of gymnázein to train in the nude
Origin of gymnasium2
1685–95; < German; special use of gymnasium 1
Explanation
A gymnasium is a place people go to exercise or participate in sports. Your neighborhood gymnasium might be a good place to play basketball, pump iron, or to check out the other gym rats. The more common gym is a shortened form of gymnasium. Most schools have a gymnasium, a room where physical education classes are held and games like dodge ball and volleyball can be played. People also belong to private gymnasiums, where they take yoga classes and run on treadmills and lift weights. In Latin, gymnasium means "school for gymnastics," from the Greek gymnasion, "public place where athletic exercises are practiced."
Vocabulary lists containing gymnasium
List 8
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 9
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
What I heard and witnessed that day in a gymnasium in the middle of coal country has remained with me all these years later.
From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026
Original signage from when the Lasky-DeMille Barn was used as Paramount’s gymnasium.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026
The interiors of the home, however, were mostly created and shot on a soundstage built in a nearby abandoned high school gymnasium, where the film’s production offices were also located.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 29, 2025
Its gymnasium and dormitories need repairs and upgrades.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025
Little disregarded patches of ground revealed that they had been gardens all along, and nondescript underbrush around the gymnasium and the river broke into color.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
