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

Example Sentences

Their son was a standout at Loyola High School and had been slated to play tennis at the University of Virginia.

From Los Angeles Times

Open tennis tournament, a fellow spectator asked me if I was Tim Scott.

From The Wall Street Journal

The 6-foot-tall right hander from Murcia is precisely the sort of raw young talent—athletic, physical, emotional—that tennis has watched flame out countless times before.

From The Wall Street Journal

The guidelines cover even such matters as Snoopy’s grip on a tennis racquet.”

From Los Angeles Times

The unlikely story of an American table tennis champion has become an end-of-year cinematic event in the United States, where it's due to be released on Thursday, with Chalamet-headed publicity garnering fevered attention.

From Barron's