stadium
noun
sta·di·um
ˈstā-dē-əm 
plural stadiums or stadia
ˈstā-dē-ə
1
: a large usually roofless building with tiers of seats for spectators at sports events
2
a
: a tiered structure with seats for spectators surrounding an ancient Greek running track
b
: a course for footraces in ancient Greece
3
a
: any of various ancient Greek units of length ranging in value from 607 to 738 feet (about 185 to 225 meters)
b
: an ancient Roman unit of length equal to 607 feet (185 meters)
4
[New Latin, from Latin]
: a stage in a life history
especially
: one between successive molts of an insect
Examples of stadium in a Sentence
the football game will be held at the new stadium, which seats 100,000 people
Recent Examples on the Web
Fans can save money by paying for parking before arriving to the stadium.
—
Caché McClay, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
Stroitel were confident of soon doing the same, which explains why there had been such a concerted push for a new stadium with better facilities, including those floodlights.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
In the stadium, Yeika predicts soft matte finishes, bold lashes, and metallic accents like golds and silvers to catch stage lights.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 25 Apr. 2025
The 24-year-old, who released her debut studio album Vertigo in July, has toured stadiums supporting the likes of Taylor Swift (who urged her millions of followers to listen to Griff before inviting her on The Eras Tour), Ed Sheeran and Coldplay.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stadium
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Caché McClay, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
Stroitel were confident of soon doing the same, which explains why there had been such a concerted push for a new stadium with better facilities, including those floodlights.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
In the stadium, Yeika predicts soft matte finishes, bold lashes, and metallic accents like golds and silvers to catch stage lights.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 25 Apr. 2025
The 24-year-old, who released her debut studio album Vertigo in July, has toured stadiums supporting the likes of Taylor Swift (who urged her millions of followers to listen to Griff before inviting her on The Eras Tour), Ed Sheeran and Coldplay.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stadium
Cite this Entry
“Stadium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stadium. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stadium
noun
sta·di·um
ˈstād-ē-əm
plural stadia
-ē-ə
or stadiums
1
: a course for footraces in ancient Greece with rows of seats for spectators
2
plural usually stadiums
: a large usually roofless building with rows of seats for spectators at modern sports events
Etymology
Middle English stadium "a course for races in ancient Greece, a large structure for sports events," from Latin stadium (same meaning), from Greek stadion "a course for footraces, a unit of measurement"
Word Origin
A stadion in ancient Greece was a unit of measurement equal to about 180 meters. One of the most important events in the ancient Olympic Games was a footrace exactly one stadion long. The course on which the race was run, including the raised seats from which spectators watched, was also known as a stadion. This word was later borrowed into Latin as stadium. In time, it also came to be used to refer to larger structures in which different kinds of athletic contests were held. That is how the English word stadium is usually used.
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