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.
See Examples For:
In addition, the home comes with a gym, steam shower, massage and salon rooms, a home theater, game room, and two private balconies.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Plus, going no-contact with your parents, a growing way women show their hard work at the gym, and an adorable new AI agent you’ll need to keep a close eye on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
“Just continuing to come in and work on it. The jumper, I’ve been in the gym all summer working on fluidity and the speed of my release, stuff like that, moving,” James said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Creatine is widely known for helping support muscle growth and athletic performance, but researchers are increasingly examining whether its benefits extend well beyond the gym.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
The track and gym are instead walls of white.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Many people report barriers such as lack of confidence, uncertainty about how to start, fear of injury or the belief that gyms are not for them.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
She has visited nearly a dozen cities to understand how Nike can seize on China’s booming sporting scene, popping into gyms, where sweaty workouts such as Hyrox are in, and watching local pickup basketball games.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
More than 500 affiliated gyms are offering Hyrox specific training, according to the state's Xinhua news agency.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Some gyms may call or text you within the next few days with a better offer to close the deal.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
My very ability to work tirelessly hour after hour is a product of decades of better-than-average medical care, a high-protein diet, and workouts in gyms that charge $400 or $500 a year.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
