1
: an area in a Roman amphitheater for gladiatorial combats
2
a
: an enclosed area used for public entertainment
b
: a building containing an arena
3
a
: a sphere of interest, activity, or competition
the political arena
b
: a place or situation for controversy
in the public arena
Synonyms
Examples of arena in a Sentence
Congress became an arena of opposing views.
the toughest political arena in the world
The economic arena has been dominated by that country.
Recent Examples on the Web
Popular on Variety Church has a sense of occasion that sometimes leads him to do special one-off sets, of which this was definitely one, rather than the standard arena touring show many might expect to see at a festival.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Apr. 2024
Including the 1,700 arena employees who staff each event, nearly 123,000 people will pass through the doors of the Crypt in that span.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Soccer was an outcast sport, but the scene was familiar: an old arena with sticky floors; hot dogs and greasy pizza slices at the concession stands; professional hockey and basketball banners hanging from the rafters; kids and families everywhere.
—Adam Elder, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Having essentially told the government to go to hell, Gunn and the tribal elders finally made their way to the fight venue, a makeshift arena in a baking-hot parking lot—where, incredibly, over five thousand people had gathered to watch the event.
—Stayton Bonner, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024
Phoenix police arrest 3 women in $500K retail theft case An arena by 2029: What the Coyotes owner must do to keep his franchise Jury deadlocked in Nogales rancher murder trial.
—The Arizona Republic, 20 Apr. 2024
Saturdays used to mean hours of free play where the kid got to practice decision-making and have an appropriate arena to make mistakes.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 20 Apr. 2024
But the 1985 arena rock classic is a somber meditation on the fleetingness of love that ends on a surprisingly hopeful note for those who think they’re doomed to walk the earth alone.
—Shannon Carlin, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
This is Shakira’s first tour since her 2018 El Dorado World Tour, which took her to stadiums and arenas around the world.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 16 Apr. 2024
Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Apr. 2024
Including the 1,700 arena employees who staff each event, nearly 123,000 people will pass through the doors of the Crypt in that span.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Soccer was an outcast sport, but the scene was familiar: an old arena with sticky floors; hot dogs and greasy pizza slices at the concession stands; professional hockey and basketball banners hanging from the rafters; kids and families everywhere.
—Adam Elder, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Having essentially told the government to go to hell, Gunn and the tribal elders finally made their way to the fight venue, a makeshift arena in a baking-hot parking lot—where, incredibly, over five thousand people had gathered to watch the event.
—Stayton Bonner, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024
Phoenix police arrest 3 women in $500K retail theft case An arena by 2029: What the Coyotes owner must do to keep his franchise Jury deadlocked in Nogales rancher murder trial.
—The Arizona Republic, 20 Apr. 2024
Saturdays used to mean hours of free play where the kid got to practice decision-making and have an appropriate arena to make mistakes.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 20 Apr. 2024
But the 1985 arena rock classic is a somber meditation on the fleetingness of love that ends on a surprisingly hopeful note for those who think they’re doomed to walk the earth alone.
—Shannon Carlin, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
This is Shakira’s first tour since her 2018 El Dorado World Tour, which took her to stadiums and arenas around the world.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 16 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'arena.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near arena
Cite this Entry
“Arena.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arena. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
arena
noun
are·na
ə-ˈrē-nə 
1
: an enclosed area used for public entertainment
2
: a building containing an arena
3
: a field of activity
the political arena
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