tennis

American  

[ten-is] / ˈtɛn ɪs /

noun

1. a game played on a rectangular court by two players or two pairs of players equipped with rackets, in which a ball is driven back and forth over a low net that divides the court in half.

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tennis British  

/ ˈtɛnɪs /

noun

1. 1. a racket game played between two players or pairs of players who hit a ball to and fro over a net on a rectangular court of grass, asphalt, clay, etc See also lawn tennis real tennis court tennis table tennis

   2. ( as modifier )

      tennis court

      tennis racket

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Etymology

Origin of tennis

1350–1400; Middle English tenetz, ten ( e ) ys < Anglo-French: take!, imperative plural of tenir to hold, take, receive, apparently used as a server's call

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Explanation

Tennis anyone? Tennis is a sport that's played with a small, felt-covered rubber ball and rackets. The basic goal in tennis is hitting the ball across a net. There are two types of tennis: singles, when two individuals face off, and doubles, which involves teams of two players. If you can hit a tennis ball with a racket, you can play tennis. Historians believe that tennis grew out of a 12th century French game called la paulme, "the palm," in which players hit a ball with their hands. The word tennis comes from the Anglo-French tenetz, "Hold! Take! Receive!" which players called out before serving.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tennis

The tennis legend - a boyhood Real fan who holds member's number 67,778 - included a photo of himself as a child in a club kit in his response to the news.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

A number of events in Saudi Arabia have been cancelled recently, including the Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition event, which was scheduled to be in Riyadh.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

“Mamma mia, Kimi!” five-time major tennis champion Jannik Sinner said in a video message to him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

After weeks of sleep deprivation, Kong in August fell asleep in her parked car with the A/C running before tennis practice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

His sharp blue eyes paused for a moment on Fadi, who looked down at his old tennis shoes.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

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