gymnasium
noun
gym·na·si·um
sense 1
jim-ˈnā-zē-əm
-zhəm;
sense 2 is usually
gim-ˈnä-zē-əm
plural gymnasiums or gymnasia
sense 1
jim-ˈnā-zē-ə
-zhə;
sense 2 is usually gim-ˈnä-zē-ə
1
a
: a large room used for various indoor sports (such as basketball or boxing) and usually equipped with gymnastic apparatus
b
: a building (as on a college campus) containing space and equipment for various indoor sports activities and usually including spectator accommodations, locker and shower rooms, offices, classrooms, and a swimming pool
2
[German, from Latin, school]
: a European secondary school that prepares students for the university
Examples of gymnasium in a Sentence
since it was raining, the kids had recess in the gymnasium
Recent Examples on the Web
From Fayetteville gymnasiums to professional courts in Rwanda, Canada and now China — and soon back to a Charlotte stage — Cole continues to remind North Carolinians that one of their own never stops reaching.
—
Ryan Brennan
april 3, Charlotte Observer, 3 Apr. 2026
Video obtained by the Daily News shows a group of inmates in the MDC Brooklyn federal jail trying to climb a gymnasium wall for nearly 20 minutes in a clumsy attempt to pull a rope packed with contraband through a window.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026
Inside, Crest Nine boasts an indoor sports room, gymnasium, restaurant, bar, and four guest suites.
—New Atlas, 28 Mar. 2026
Ida Noyes Hall was initially designed as a women's gymnasium.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gymnasium
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Ryan Brennan
april 3, Charlotte Observer, 3 Apr. 2026
Video obtained by the Daily News shows a group of inmates in the MDC Brooklyn federal jail trying to climb a gymnasium wall for nearly 20 minutes in a clumsy attempt to pull a rope packed with contraband through a window.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026
Inside, Crest Nine boasts an indoor sports room, gymnasium, restaurant, bar, and four guest suites.
—New Atlas, 28 Mar. 2026
Ida Noyes Hall was initially designed as a women's gymnasium.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gymnasium
Cite this Entry
“Gymnasium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gymnasium. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gymnasium
noun
gym·na·si·um
jim-ˈnā-zē-əm
-zhəm
-zhəm
plural gymnasiums or gymnasia
-zē-ə,
-zhə
: a room or building for sports activities
Etymology
from Latin gymnasium "exercise ground, school," from Greek gymnasion (same meaning), from gymnazein "to exercise naked," from gymnos "naked"
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