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
The venue, which first opened in 1915, features a massive hardwood arena with stadium seating, a 1,350-seat theater, and several smaller gathering spaces, including a banquet room overlooking the lake.
—
Doug Duran, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
These interludes are like ballads in-between heavy power chord tunes at a stadium rock concert; an experience somewhat akin to watching a big loud action movie such as this.
—Richard Kuipers, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
It’s been 25 years since the stadium was last renovated.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 26 Jan. 2026
The fire and brimstone nature of both fixtures, played in potentially imposing and intimidating stadiums, carries the risk of heightening the level of a player’s tension, in turn hindering their concentration or ability to follow a plan.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stadium
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Doug Duran, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
These interludes are like ballads in-between heavy power chord tunes at a stadium rock concert; an experience somewhat akin to watching a big loud action movie such as this.
—Richard Kuipers, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
It’s been 25 years since the stadium was last renovated.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 26 Jan. 2026
The fire and brimstone nature of both fixtures, played in potentially imposing and intimidating stadiums, carries the risk of heightening the level of a player’s tension, in turn hindering their concentration or ability to follow a plan.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stadium
Cite this Entry
“Stadium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stadium. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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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