gymnasium
1 Americannoun
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gymnasiums,
plural
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gymnasia
plural
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a building or room designed and equipped for indoor sports, exercise, or physical education.
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a place where Greek youths met for exercise and discussion.
noun
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gymnasiums,
plural
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gymnasia
plural
noun
-
a large room or hall equipped with bars, weights, ropes, etc, for games or physical training
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(in various European countries) a secondary school that prepares pupils for university
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
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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:
CHANDLER, Ariz. — At balloon-adorned tables in red, white and blue, a handful of voters inside a church gymnasium listened as Medina Moore explained what to do if federal agents show up at the polls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
The tower hosts an expansive gymnasium, with Peloton bikes facing Central Park, physical therapists and spacious locker rooms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Many people sheltered in a nearby gymnasium for safety.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
"There is a risk that the fire could reach homes, but we are deploying all available resources to protect them," he said, with a nearby gymnasium opened to accommodate those evacuating their homes.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Halliday is at a high-school dance being held in a large gymnasium.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
They might serve as rigorous gymnasia for the political imagination.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2014
As recently as 2006, the state's prisons held twice as many prisoners as they were meant to house, and inmate bunks were stacked in gymnasia and day rooms along with regular cells.
From Reuters ● Oct. 15, 2013
A lot of people see the "Y" only as a chain of economical young men's hotels, a place of gymnasia, swimming pools and evening classes.
From Time Magazine Archive
Since dissection was forbidden by their religion, they carefully watched athletes in the gymnasia.
From Time Magazine Archive
To the clergy was given the control of education, and to the gymnasia and universities a considerable number of foreigners and Protestants received appointments.
From Church History, Vol. 3 of 3 by J. H. Kurtz
This is why the sight of empty seats in high school gymnasiums and muted cable coverage that tell a less flattering story cuts so deeply.
From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2026
Emergency shelters were set up in schools and gymnasiums in southwestern France for tourists and residents left wondering what they would return to.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
What calls to mind phys ed and school gymnasiums more palpably than dodgeball?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2024
They couldn’t carry guns at school events at stadiums, gymnasiums or auditoriums.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 26, 2024
Still, a stream of refugees made their way to Yamagata, the prefecture west of Fukushima, where they would sleep on floors in crowded gymnasiums and municipal buildings.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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