arena

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a·re·na

(ə-rē′nə)

a. An enclosed area for the presentation of sports events and spectacles.

b. A building housing such an area.

2. A place or scene where forces contend or events unfold: withdrew from the political arena; the world as an arena of moral conflict.

3. The area in the center of an ancient Roman amphitheater where contests and other spectacles were held.

[Latin harēna, arēna, sand, a sand-strewn place of combat in an amphitheater; akin to Sabine fasēna, sand, perhaps ultimately of Etruscan origin.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

arena

(əˈriːnə)

1. (General Sporting Terms)

a. an enclosure or platform, usually surrounded by seats on all sides, in which sports events, contests, entertainments, etc, take place: a boxing arena.

b. (as modifier): arena stage.

2. (Historical Terms) the central area of an ancient Roman amphitheatre, in which gladiatorial contests and other spectacles were held

3. a sphere or scene of conflict or intense activity: the political arena.

[C17: from Latin harēna sand, place where sand was strewn for the combats]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

a•re•na

(əˈri nə)

n., pl. -nas.

1. a central area used for sports or other forms of entertainment and surrounded by seats for spectators.

2. a building housing an arena.

3. the oval space in the center of a Roman amphitheater for gladiatorial combats or other spectacles.

4. a field of competition or activity: the arena of politics.

[1620–30; < Latin (h)arēna sand, sandy place, area sanded for combat]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	arena - a particular environment or walk of life; "his social sphere is limited"; "it was a closed area of employment"; "he's out of my orbit" domain, sphere, orbit, area, field environment - the totality of surrounding conditions; "he longed for the comfortable environment of his living room" distaff - the sphere of work by women front - a sphere of activity involving effort; "the Japanese were active last week on the diplomatic front"; "they advertise on many different fronts" kingdom, realm, land - a domain in which something is dominant; "the untroubled kingdom of reason"; "a land of make-believe"; "the rise of the realm of cotton in the south" lap - an area of control or responsibility; "the job fell right in my lap" political arena, political sphere - a sphere of intense political activity preserve - a domain that seems to be specially reserved for someone; "medicine is no longer a male preserve" province, responsibility - the proper sphere or extent of your activities; "it was his province to take care of himself"
	2.	arena - the central area of an ancient Roman amphitheater where contests and spectacles were held; especially an area that was strewn with sand area, country - a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography); "it was a mountainous area"; "Bible country"
	3.	arena - a large structure for open-air sports or entertainments sports stadium, stadium, bowl coliseum, amphitheater, amphitheatre - an oval large stadium with tiers of seats; an arena in which contests and spectacles are held ballpark, park - a facility in which ball games are played (especially baseball games); "take me out to the ballpark" bullring - a stadium where bullfights take place circus - (antiquity) an open-air stadium for chariot races and gladiatorial games covered stadium, domed stadium, dome - a stadium that has a roof field house - an athletic facility where athletes prepare for sport football stadium - a stadium where football games are held hippodrome - a stadium for horse shows or horse races skybox - an elevated box for viewing events at a sports stadium stand - tiered seats consisting of a structure (often made of wood) where people can sit to watch an event (game or parade) standing room - room for passengers or spectators to stand; "there was standing room for thousands more people" structure, construction - a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts; "the structure consisted of a series of arches"; "she wore her hair in an amazing construction of whirls and ribbons" tiered seat - seating that is arranged in sloping tiers so that spectators in the back can see over the heads of those in front athletic field, playing area, playing field, field - a piece of land prepared for playing a game; "the home crowd cheered when Princeton took the field"
	4.	arena - a playing field where sports events take place scene of action circus - an arena consisting of an oval or circular area enclosed by tiers of seats and usually covered by a tent; "they used the elephants to help put up the circus" athletic field, playing area, playing field, field - a piece of land prepared for playing a game; "the home crowd cheered when Princeton took the field"

arena

noun

1. ring, ground, stage, field, theatre, bowl, pitch, stadium, enclosure, park (U.S. & Canad.), coliseum, amphitheatre the largest indoor sports arena in the world

2. scene, world, area, stage, field, theatre, sector, territory, province, forum, scope, sphere, realm, domain He has no intention of withdrawing from the political arena.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

arena

noun

A sphere of activity, experience, study, or interest:

area, bailiwick, circle, department, domain, field, orbit, province, realm, scene, subject, terrain, territory, world.

Slang: bag.

Translations

مَيدان، ساحَة عامَّه

aréna

arenakampplads

küzdõtér

leikvöllur

arena palestra

arena

arēna

arena kampplass

арена

arena

gösteri alanı

竞技场表演场地

arena

[əˈriːnə] N

1. (= stadium) → estadio m

2. (= circus) → pista f

3. (Bullfighting) (= building) → plaza f; (= pit) → ruedo m

4. (fig) (= stage) → palestra f
the political arena → el ruedo político

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

arena

[əˈriːnə] n

(= stadium) → arène f

(= field of activity) → arène f
the political arena → l'arène politique
the economic arena → l'arène économique
to enter the arena → entrer dans l'arène

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

arena

n (lit, fig) → Arena f; arena of war → Kriegsschauplatz m; to enter the arena (fig) → die Arena betreten, auf den Plan treten

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

arena

[əˈriːnə] n → arena

arena

(əˈriːnə) noun

any place for a public show contest etc. a sports arena.

References in classic literature ?

The arena was immense but extremely uneven and unkempt.

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"To the slaughter with you," and roughly we were hustled to the steep incline that led to the chambers far below which let out upon the arena.

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Upon every hand rose the mighty giants of the untouched forest, with the matted undergrowth banked so closely between the huge trunks that the only opening into the little, level arena was through the upper branches of the trees.

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The Emperor and all his Court came to see the spectacle, and Androcles was led out into the middle of the arena. Soon the Lion was let loose from his den, and rushed bounding and roaring towards his victim.

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"But not as they play it in the arena at Manator," replied Lan-O.

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As he was entering the arena, he shied off to the side more stiff- leggedly than ever, bristled all along his neck and back, and growled deep and low in his throat.

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The arena, the arena itself is the place for women!"

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Deep in the jungle, buried far from sight of man, they came upon such another little natural arena as had witnessed the wild ceremony of the Dum-Dum in which the boy's father had taken part long years before.

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Slowly the long and glittering train wound into the lists, until every horse had been tethered by the varlets in waiting, and every lord and lady seated in the long stands which stretched, rich in tapestry and velvet and blazoned arms, on either side of the centre of the arena.

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King Harry had entered the arena. He bestrode a fine white charger and was clad in a rich dark suit of slashed velvet with satin and gold facings.

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Some seventeen or eighteen centuries ago, the ignorant men of Rome were wont to put Christians in the arena of the Coliseum yonder, and turn the wild beasts in upon them for a show.

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The attitude of our captors altered immediately as they entered the natural arena within the rocky hills.