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

Don't call it the "Marty Supreme" effect: table tennis is a growing sport in the United States, in part because of a new professional league giving the parlor game an ultra-competitive edge.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 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

Timothée Chalamet plays table tennis extremely well in ‘Marty Supreme.’

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

He often imagined other things he could have done, or that he could still do: teach in a university, edit a newspaper, coach professional table tennis.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie