table tennis

American  

noun

1. a game resembling tennis, played on a table with small paddles and a hollow celluloid or plastic ball.

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table tennis British  

noun

1. a miniature form of tennis played on a table with small bats and a light hollow ball

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Etymology

Origin of table tennis

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Sabbir reads manuals on the theory of navigation, and Islamic texts—or plays table tennis with his crew.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

PingPod, a chain of table tennis venues in the United States, reported it had 160,000 registered users.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

As a child she was encouraged to take part in sport and shone at table tennis, but found her calling in winter sports and cross-country skiing in particular.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

Shortly after the first awards were announced, Bell introduced a table tennis tournament.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

When I got there, two boys were playing table tennis on the verandah.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah