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
The dates, which includes appearances at arenas and theaters, kick off in Boston in April with St. Vincent serving as support for that show and the next date at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
—
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2024
Editor’s Note: Examining clothes through the ages, Dress Codes is a new series investigating how the rules of fashion have influenced different cultural arenas — and your closet.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 5 Sep. 2024
The arena has been getting a lot of usage, with the Dana White Contender Series emanating from the quaint spot weekly for the past month.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024
The 25,000-seat soccer-specific arena is the centerpiece of a redevelopment project in the Willets Point neighborhood of Queens, the city’s largest borough by land.
—Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for arena 
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2024
Editor’s Note: Examining clothes through the ages, Dress Codes is a new series investigating how the rules of fashion have influenced different cultural arenas — and your closet.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 5 Sep. 2024
The arena has been getting a lot of usage, with the Dana White Contender Series emanating from the quaint spot weekly for the past month.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024
The 25,000-seat soccer-specific arena is the centerpiece of a redevelopment project in the Willets Point neighborhood of Queens, the city’s largest borough by land.
—Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for arena
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Arena.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arena. Accessed 12 Sep. 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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