Tennis is a game played by two or four players on a rectangular court. The players use an oval racket with strings across it to hit a ball over a net across the middle of the court.
tennis in British English
(ˈtɛnɪs)
noun
a.
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
b.
(as modifier)
tennis court
tennis racket
Word origin
C14: probably from Anglo-French tenetz hold (imperative), from Old French tenir to hold, from Latin tenēre
tennis in American English
(ˈtɛnɪs)
noun
1.
a game, usually played outdoors, in which two players or two pairs of players using rackets hit a fabric-covered,hollow rubber ball back and forth over a net stretched across a marked, level, rectangular area (tennis court)
: in full lawn tennis
2.
a similar but more complex old indoor game (court tennis) in which the ball is bounced against the walls of a specially constructed court as well as hit over a net
Word origin
ME tenetz, prob. < Anglo-Fr tenetz, receive, hold (imper. for OFr tenez) < OFr tenir, to hold (see tenant): a cry by the server before play
Nowadays so many tennis players are peaking in their thirties.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
There were no tennis courts or football fields.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She was a sporty young woman whose chief delights were playing tennis and golf.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Britain boasts the best male tennis player in the world.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Nor would they be allowed to buy seasonal passes to tennis courts and golf course.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Nobody needs to see me play tennis either.
The Sun (2016)
And why do tennis players wear white?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Suddenly he could no longer play tennis.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The property has a shared pool and tennis court.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Any top tennis player will know the feeling.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Thank you for a great game of tennis.
The Sun (2014)
Or stood atop a car playing guitar on a tennis racket?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The centre has ten tennis courts and two squash courts.
Brines, Callum Collins Traveller - The Algarve (1993)
The resulting silk can be used to strengthen tennis rackets.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
And they are more likely to ski and play tennis than kill other animals for fun.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
On the tennis court she found herself opposite him in a game of mixed doubles.
Aidan Hartley THE ZANZIBAR CHEST: A Memoir of Love and War (2003)
He used to do tennis coaching during the summer.
The Sun (2009)
It was five sets and people at the time said it was grass court tennis at its very best.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
One man was caught holding a tennis racket over the passenger seat while he drove with the other hand.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
British tennis players are too spoilt to succeed, leading figures in the game have claimed.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
At the age of 28 the tennis player is one of the youngest new entrants.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
He has also expressed firm views on a need for there to be more tennis played on clay to reduce injuries and a shortening of the season.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Two restaurants serve Moroccan dishes and there are two clay tennis courts and a good-sized pool.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There is a cinema for 30 people, two floodlit clay tennis courts and a gym.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Play tennis on the grass court, relax in the Finnish sauna or have a game of table football or table tennis.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Word lists with
tennis
ball game, Other sports
In other languages
tennis
British English: tennis /ˈtɛnɪs/ NOUN
Tennis is a game played by two or four players on a rectangular court with a net across the middle. The players use rackets to hit a ball over the net.
American English: tennis
Arabic: تِنِس
Brazilian Portuguese: tênis
Chinese: 网球
Croatian: tenis
Czech: tenis
Danish: tennis
Dutch: tennis
European Spanish: tenis
Finnish: tennis
French: tennis sport
German: Tennis
Greek: τένις
Italian: tennis
Japanese: テニス
Korean: 테니스
Norwegian: tennis
Polish: tenis
European Portuguese: ténis
Romanian: tenis
Russian: теннис
Latin American Spanish: tenis deporte
Swedish: tennis
Thai: เทนนิส
Turkish: tenis
Ukrainian: теніс
Vietnamese: quần vợt
All related terms of 'tennis'
deck tennis
a game played on board ship in which a quoit is tossed to and fro across a high net on a small court resembling a tennis court
lawn tennis
Lawn tennis is the same as → tennis .
real tennis
an ancient form of tennis played in a four-walled indoor court with various openings , a sloping-roofed corridor along three sides, and a buttress on the fourth side
tennis ball
a hollow rubber ball covered with felt , used in tennis
tennis camp
a camp that people go to in order to play and be taught tennis
tennis shoe
a rubber-soled canvas shoe tied with laces
court tennis
an ancient form of tennis played in a four-walled indoor court with various openings , a sloping-roofed corridor along three sides, and a buttress on the fourth side
paddle tennis
an outdoor game played with paddles and a rubber ball on a raised platform surrounded by a screen , combining elements of tennis , handball , and squash
royal tennis
an ancient form of tennis played in a four-walled indoor court with various openings , a sloping-roofed corridor along three sides, and a buttress on the fourth side
squash tennis
to press or squeeze or be pressed or squeezed in or down so as to crush , distort , or pulp
table tennis
Table tennis is a game played inside by two or four people. The players stand at each end of a table which has a low net across the middle and hit a small light ball over the net, using small bats.
tennis court
a court or area with a net across the middle used for playing tennis
tennis elbow
a painful inflammation of the elbow caused by exertion in playing tennis and similar games
tennis player
a person who plays the sport tennis
tennis racket
a bat with a long handle attached to a round frame with a network of tight strings over it; used to hit the ball in tennis
platform tennis
→ paddle tennis
tennis bracelet
a bracelet consisting of a single strand of small stones, usually diamonds , in a plain setting
tennis champion
A champion is someone who has won the first prize in a competition , contest , or fight.
squash
If someone or something is squashed , they are pressed or crushed with such force that they become injured or lose their shape.
squash rackets
to press or squeeze or be pressed or squeezed in or down so as to crush , distort , or pulp
squash racquets
to press or squeeze or be pressed or squeezed in or down so as to crush , distort , or pulp