arena
/əˈriːnə
/noun
1A level area surrounded by seating, in which sports, entertainments, and other public events are held.Whole towns could be surrounded, or a mile-wide dragnet thrown over an area which contained sporting arenas....
- We need to build new stadia and other sporting arenas promptly in order not to be disadvantaged at critical times.
- I had seen pictures of sports arenas and Coliseums but I had never actually been inside one.
Synonyms
stadium, amphitheatre, theatre, coliseum;
ground, field, ring, rink, pitch, court, stage, platform;
in ancient Rome circus, hippodrome;
North American bowl
informal park
rare cirque
2A place or scene of activity, debate, or conflict: he has re-entered the political arena...
- During the week running up to the meeting the campus was transformed into an arena of political debate.
- These arguments have now been tested in a political arena for the first time.
- It is high time we gave shape to a new culture, where each arena of activity is given its due place.
Synonyms
area, scene, sphere, realm, province, domain, sector, forum, territory, theatre, stage, world;
battleground, battlefield, area/field of conflict, sphere of action/activity, lists
Origin
Early 17th century: from Latin harena, arena 'sand, sand-strewn place of combat'.
Roman amphitheatres, used for staging gladiatorial combats and other violent spectacles, were strewn with sand to soak up the blood spilled by the wounded and dead combatants. The word for ‘sand’ in Latin was harena or arena, and after a time this came to be applied to the whole amphitheatre.
Rhymes
- sente
- sentence
- sentence adverb
- sentential
- sententious
- sententiously
- sententiousness
- sentience
- sentiency
- sentient
- sentiently
- sentiment
- sentimental
- sentimentalise
- sentimentalism
- sentimentalist
- sentimentality
- sentimentalization
- sentimentalize
- sentimentally
- sentimental value
- sentiment analysis
- sentinel
- sentry
- sentry box