sports arena
10
2.5
- noun
- /spɔrts əˈrinə/
- Thousands of fans gathered in the sports arena to watch their favorite team play.
Examples
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The championship game will be held at the sports arena next Saturday.
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The city of Montevideo alone boasted over three hundred sports arenas in 1896, the year of the first Olympic Games.
Academic text (1995) -
You were at the sports arena in Vegas?
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You know, the new residential one, down by the sports arena?
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How about watching a kid in the stands at some enormous sports arena or at a live concert?
Blog text (15) -
I want to build tons of sports arenas and fund active sports programs for our youth.
Blog text (2) -
The Bulls and Blackhawks would play in the winter sports arena.
Blog text (20) -
He's the architect who designed the new loft building, near the sports arena.
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Portions of the gigantic sports arena have been damaged in the earthquake, but crowds still pour into the entrances.
Fiction book (1996) -
For example, the planned relocation of a professional basketball team from a suburban sports arena to a downtown Brooklyn location with nearby subway access will enable fans to attend games without having to drive.
Academic text (2006)
Synonyms
186
2.9
A large building with seats where people watch sports or concerts
30
3.3
A large indoor room where people exercise and play sports
4
3.6
A large indoor building for sports and training with space for spectators
3
3.2
A place for sports and exercise like a gym or stadium
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'arena' denotes a venue for events and 'sports' specifies the type of events, so 'sports arena' clearly means an arena used for sporting events. This noun–noun compounding pattern is common and predictable cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Sports arena comes from the old word arena, which meant a sandy area where Roman games and contests happened. The parts sports and arena simply mean the sport activity and the 'place' for events, so sports arena now means a large indoor building with seats where people watch sports.