real tennis

British

noun

Also called: royal tennis. an ancient form of tennis played in a four-walled indoor court with various openings, a sloping-roofed corridor along three sides, and a buttress on the fourth side

"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

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.

As someone who isn’t a particularly fervent fan of even real tennis matches, I find fictional ones pleasantly untaxing.

From New York Times • Oct. 25, 2023

“I was more nervous there than any of my real tennis matches,” Fritz said.

From Reuters • May 3, 2020

Group 2 features Dominic Thiem, John Isner, Diego Schwartzman and the David Ferrer, coming out of retirement from real tennis to make an appearance in the virtual world.

From Reuters • Apr. 24, 2020

“It’s as beautiful and strong as hitting an ace or a forehand winner, a real tennis shot.”

From New York Times • May 27, 2010

One of the real tennis tacticians, a man who is to-day a veteran of many a notable encounter, yet still dangerous at all times, is H. Roper Barrett.

From The Art of Lawn Tennis by Tilden, William (Bill) Tatem

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