tennis

American

[ten-is] / ˈtɛn ɪs /

noun

a game played on a rectangular court by two players or two pairs of players equipped with rackets, in which a ball is driven back and forth over a low net that divides the court in half.

tennis British

/ ˈtɛnɪs /

noun

1. a racket game played between two players or pairs of players who hit a ball to and fro over a net on a rectangular court of grass, asphalt, clay, etc See also lawn tennis real tennis court tennis table tennis
2. ( as modifier )
  
  tennis court
  tennis racket

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tennis

1350–1400; Middle English tenetz, ten ( e ) ys < Anglo-French: take!, imperative plural of tenir to hold, take, receive, apparently used as a server's call

Explanation

Tennis anyone? Tennis is a sport that's played with a small, felt-covered rubber ball and rackets. The basic goal in tennis is hitting the ball across a net. There are two types of tennis: singles, when two individuals face off, and doubles, which involves teams of two players. If you can hit a tennis ball with a racket, you can play tennis. Historians believe that tennis grew out of a 12th century French game called la paulme, "the palm," in which players hit a ball with their hands. The word tennis comes from the Anglo-French tenetz, "Hold! Take! Receive!" which players called out before serving.

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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.

See Examples For:

tennis

There is also a sizable swimming pool overlooking a fenced, lighted tennis court, as well as a serene pond with a charming bridge pathway running over it.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

When his daughter lost a tennis match, the chief AI scientist at startup Resolve AI tried to comfort her by saying the sport is a “hill-climbing process.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Mari’s portfolio already includes the Miami Open tennis tournament, the Frieze art fair and collector-car auctioneer Barrett-Jackson.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Last week, encampments no longer occupied the grassy area around the tennis courts on La Brea Avenue or the sidewalks along the nearby Michelle and Barack Obama Sports Complex.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

His tennis shoes squished as he sloshed through the water.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023