tennis

noun

ten·nis ˈte-nəs

often attributive

: an indoor or outdoor game that is played with rackets and a light elastic ball by two players or pairs of players on a level court (as of clay or grass) divided by a low net

: court tennis

Examples of tennis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

While Rodriguez donned a white tennis dress, Gentry and LaLonde could be seen in the background recreating the infamous churro scene from the film. —

Kelsie Gibson, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024 The benchmark appears to be her Euphoria co-star Zendaya, who reportedly earned $10 million for starring and producing the tennis drama Challengers. —

Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024 Julian and Alejandro were close friends and tennis rivals. —

Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2024 Laidback takes on gameday wares consisting of jerseys with tennis skirts and bubble hem skirts were also spotted. —

Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tennis

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tenetz, tenys, perhaps borrowed from Anglo-French tenez, 2nd person plural imperative of tenir "to hold" — more at tenant entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of tennis was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century