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tennis

tennis

452 1.0
A game where two or four players use rackets to hit a ball over a net
  • noun
  • /ˈtɛnɪs/
: tenis
  • She practiced for hours on the tennis court, perfecting her serve.
  • tennis player
  • play tennis
  • tennis ball

They're getting, they're playing tennis, doing art therapy.

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Examples

  • Women's tennis was valued as highly as men's tennis in 'possessing beauty or certain artistic qualities.'

    Academic text (1990)
  • So yesterday Josh and I were playing tennis and there's this mom.

  • It's like being captain of the tennis team.

  • I am very competitive, so it's like in tennis, I always want to win.

  • Two well matched players could make tennis go on almost forever.

  • And I love playing tennis and also padel.

  • Can I get you a tennis racket?

  • I don't care for sports except tennis and more recently Formula One.

  • The image of a female tennis player pops up and executes a perfect swing.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The tie-breaker in professional tennis enables matches to be completed within a designated time period.

    Academic text (1990)

Synonyms

lawn tennis
vstennis
1 2.8

A sport where two or four players hit a ball over a net on a grass court

has identical meaning but is the more common shorter name

Compounds

42 1.4

A flat area marked with lines and a net where people play tennis

31 1.0

A light casual shoe with a rubber sole for sports and everyday wear

28 1.0

A person who plays tennis as a sport or for a living

28 1.0

A small yellow or white ball covered with felt used to play tennis

14 1.4

A game like tennis played on a table with small paddles and a light ball

12 1.4

A light oval frame with strings that you use to hit a tennis ball

9 1.1

A game of tennis played between two players or two pairs in a tournament

9 1.2

A place where people meet to play tennis together

A short class where a coach teaches how to play tennis

tennis pro
  • Informal
7 3.2

A person who plays tennis for money or teaches tennis as a job

Playing tennis as a paid job rather than as a hobby

tennis elbow
  • Specialized
5 4.1

Pain in the outer part of the elbow caused by using the arm too much, often from racket sports

4 2.2

A place where people take lessons and practice tennis

3 2.7

A person who teaches and trains people to play tennis

A person who plays tennis and earns money from it

1 2.8

A sport where two or four players hit a ball over a net on a grass court

A flat rectangular table with a net used to play table tennis

1 9.9

An old indoor game like tennis played on a special court with walls

1 2.5

A hit of the tennis ball with a racket during play

1 9.9

Kissing someone passionately with the tongue for a long time

To hit a tennis ball with a racket during a game

royal tennis
  • Archaic
1 9.9

An old indoor game like tennis that uses a court with four walls

court tennis
  • Literature
1 9.9

An old indoor form of tennis played on a court with four walls

deck tennis
  • Archaic
8.4

A game on a ship deck where players toss a ring over a net

A small flat paddle with a short handle used to hit the ball in table tennis

A small flat paddle you use to hit the ball in table tennis

text tennis
  • Slang
7.4

A quick back-and-forth exchange of text messages between two people

How Competitive

tennis
452 1.0
tennis club
9 1.2

Surface Forms

tennis singular
tennises plural
tennises plural
tennis singular

Etymology

Tennis One popular story says the word comes from an old French shout tenez, meaning 'take' or 'receive', which players would call when they served the ball. So you can remember tennis as the game where players send and 'take' the ball across the net.