stadium

stadium — noun

1. a large structure where people sit on tiered seating arranged around a central s

1.nounA2
Definition

a large structure where people sit on tiered seating arranged around a central space, designed for sporting events, concerts, and other public shows

Example

Rodrigo and his father go to the stadium every Saturday to watch football.

preposition: go to the stadium

The city's main stadium was built in 2005 and can seat sixty thousand people.

collocation: seat + capacity (hold/seat number of people)

Common collocations
  • at the stadium
  • in the stadium
  • build a stadium
  • fill a stadium
  • stadium holds [number]
  • stadium seats [number]
  • packed stadium
  • home stadium
  • open-air stadium
  • indoor stadium
  • Olympic stadium
Synonyms
  • arena

    usually smaller and indoors (e.g. a basketball arena), while stadium usually has an open or partly covered top

  • field

    refers to the playing surface itself, not the whole structure with seats

  • venue

    a general term for any place where an event happens, from a small hall to a large stadium

Grammar Patterns

stadium + verb (holds/seats)

preposition at/in + the stadium

Usage Note

Plural is usually 'stadiums' in everyday English; 'stadia' is a formal or technical variant. Often used with 'at' or 'in' to indicate location (at the stadium, in the stadium).

Common Mistakes

We went to the playground to watch the baseball game.
We went to the stadium to watch the baseball game.
A playground is for children to play on, not for watching professional sports.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A stadium and an arena both hold large crowds for events, but an arena is usually indoors (e.g. a basketball arena), while a stadium is typically open above or has a partially covered roof. A field is the playing surface itself, not the structure around it — players run onto the field, but fans watch from the stadium seats. Venue is a much broader term that covers any event location, from a small hall to a huge outdoor space. Ground (chiefly British) can mean a sports field with some seating, like a cricket ground or football ground. For example: 'Fans filled the stadium to watch the players run onto the field.'

stadium ↗arena ↗field ↗venue ↗ground ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • build a stadium
  • open a stadium
  • fill a stadium
  • pack the stadium
  • stadium seating

Prepositions

Etymology

Ancient GreekLatinEnglish

The word stadium comes from Latin 'stadium', borrowed from Ancient Greek 'stadion' (στάδιον). In ancient Greece, a stadion was a unit of distance equal to about 185 metres — the length of a standard footrace. Over time the word came to refer to the racecourse itself, and later to any large building or grounds with tiers of seats for spectators.