Definition

Noun: A game resembling tennis but played on a table with small paddles and a lightweight, hollow ball. The objective is to hit the ball over a net so that the opponent cannot return it successfully.

Usage

"Table tennis" is an uncountable noun referring to the sport or activity itself. It is used to talk about playing, watching, or the general concept of the game. * We play table tennis every Friday in the community center. * She won a gold medal in table tennis at the Olympics. * The rules of table tennis are quite specific.

Advanced Usage

• "to be good at table tennis": To have skill in playing the sport.
  • He has been practicing for years and is now very good at table tennis.
• "a game of table tennis": Used to specify a single match or instance of playing.
  • Let's have a quick game of table tennis before lunch.

Variants and Related Words

• Ping-Pong (trademark): A common proprietary name for table tennis, often used informally. It is sometimes written with a hyphen.
  • We set up the Ping-Pong table in the garage.
• Table tennis player (n): A person who plays table tennis.
  • She is a professional table tennis player.

Synonyms

• Ping-Pong: (Informal/Trademark) The most direct synonym.
• Indoor tennis: (Descriptive) A less common descriptive term highlighting its similarity to tennis and typical playing environment.

Related Phrases

• Table tennis table: The specialized table with a net used for playing.
  • They bought a new table tennis table for the game room.
• Table tennis paddle/racket/bat: The implement used to hit the ball. ("Paddle" or "bat" is more common than "racket" in this sport).
  • He replaced the rubber on his table tennis paddle.

Noun

1. a game (trademark Ping-Pong) resembling tennis but played on a table with paddles and a light hollow ball