gym
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of gym
First recorded in 1870–75; by shortening
Explanation
A gym is a building or room that's meant for playing indoor sports or exercising. You might go to the gym to pump iron, or you might go to the gym to see who else is pumping iron. The word gym is a shortened form of gymnasium, originally a Latin word meaning "school for gymnastics," from the Greek gymnasion, "public place where exercises are practiced." The preferred way to dress at a gym these days is in shorts or sweatpants, but back in Ancient Greece, men commonly exercised naked — hence the root gymnazein, "to train naked."
Vocabulary lists containing gym
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.
Elsewhere in the main residence, there is a gym, an office, and multiple fireplaces that add a cozy feel to the living spaces.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 7, 2026
Parishioner-managed companies have purchased dozens more downtown, worth millions and housing offices, a Starbucks, a Thai restaurant and a gym.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026
Swift and Kelce announced their engagement last August in an Instagram post captioned, "Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married."
From Barron's • Jul. 4, 2026
She shared photos from their dreamy garden proposal with the caption: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2026
I get on the court, and the ball bounces loudly in the empty gym.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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.
