stadium

[ stey-dee-uhm ]

noun

, plural sta·di·ums, sta·di·a [stey, -dee-, uh].

1. a sports arena, usually oval or horseshoe-shaped, with tiers of seats for spectators.
2. an ancient Greek course for foot races, typically semicircular, with tiers of seats for spectators.
3. an ancient Greek and Roman unit of length, the Athenian unit being equal to about 607 feet (185 meters).
4. a stage in a process or in the life of an organism.
5. Entomology. stage ( def 11b ).

stadium

/ ˈsteɪdɪəm /

noun

1. a sports arena with tiered seats for spectators
2. (in ancient Greece) a course for races, usually located between two hills providing natural slopes for tiers of seats
3. an ancient Greek measure of length equivalent to about 607 feet or 184 metres
4. (in many arthropods) the interval between two consecutive moultings
5. obsolete.
   a particular period or stage in the development of a disease

Word History and Origins

Origin of stadium¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin < Greek stádion unit of distance, racecourse

Word History and Origins

Origin of stadium¹

C16: via Latin from Greek stadion , changed from spadion a racecourse, from spān to pull; also influenced by Greek stadios steady

Example Sentences

Good thing: Though he’s in town to shoot a performance for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” he’s booked on a red-eye flight to Tampa tomorrow for a stadium gig with Wallen the following night.

From Los Angeles Times

They’ve been touring stadiums this year in support of their new LP “Saviors.”

From Los Angeles Times

Instead, he was joining other teachers sweeping up material from an early morning fire underneath the stadium bleachers that severely damaged the press box.

From Los Angeles Times

And, of course, he wants to pound that other L.A. school into the perfectly manicured field at his home stadium.

From Los Angeles Times

It follows the decision by the GAA to slightly modify the stadium design after plans to host some games of the Euro 2028 football tournament in the stadium were dropped.

From BBC

Related Words

• amphitheater
• field
• garden
• gymnasium