gymnasium
1 Americannoun
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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
noun
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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
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.
At Amsterdam's Cygnus Gymnasium school, a fluorescent yellow sign on the school gates warns pupils streaming in on their bikes: "Attention: from this point on, your phone must be in your locker. Thank you."
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
For residents who have to evacuate their homes, the county offers an emergency shelter at the Ventura College Gymnasium, 4667 Telegraph Road in Ventura.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2024
Government officials and state media said seven people were in the Yuecheng Fitness Gymnasium in Jiamusi city, Huanan County, when it collapsed late on Monday.
From Reuters • Nov. 7, 2023
The Red Cross said 575 evacuees were spread across five shelters on Monday, including the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku.
From Washington Times • Aug. 14, 2023
Crowds packed the Great Gymnasium, which was a huge outdoor stadium used for sporting events.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
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.
