DictionaryAI

tennis

USTEN-is/ˈtɛnɪs/

Verbtennises, tennising, tennised

5 meanings of tennis

Practice

  1. 1
    noununcountable
    A game where two or four players hit a ball over a net with rackets.

    We play tennis at the park every Saturday morning.

    She watched a tennis match on TV with her dad.

    Note
  2. 2
    noundateduncountable
    A match or game of tennis, not the sport in general.

    We had tennis in the garden after lunch, then tea on the porch.

    Grandmother arranged tennis for the visitors on Sunday afternoon.

    Note
  3. 3
    verbdatedintransitive
    To play the game of tennis.

    The children tennis on the lawn every afternoon in summer.

    She tennised with her friends until it got dark.

    Note
  4. 4
    verbtransitive
    To knock something back and forth, like players hitting a ball over a net.

    The girls tennis the balloon across the room, never letting it touch the floor.

    The wind tennised the empty can back and forth across the street.

    Similarbat, toss, bounce, volley

    Note

Less common meaning

  1. 5
    nounobsoleteuncountable
    An old game where players hit a ball back and forth with a racket or open hand.

    The boys played tennis against the church wall, hitting the ball with their bare hands.

    The young king loved tennis and built a special court for it inside the castle.

    Note

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Origin

From Middle English tennys, from Old French tenez, meaning 'hold'.