# stadium

/ˈsteɪdiəm/ (US) · /stˈeɪdiəm/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/stadium
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. sports venue

noun · CEFR B1

a large building with seats around a field where people watch sports or concerts.

For teachers: a large, typically open-air venue with tiered seating for spectators, used for sporting events or large-scale performances.

- The fans gathered outside the stadium hours before the championship game started.
- The city invested millions in a state-of-the-art stadium, hoping to attract international tournaments and boost the local tourism economy.

### 2. biological stage

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a specific stage in the life or growth of a living thing.

For teachers: a period or stage in the development or life cycle of an organism, or a stage in the course of a disease.

- The insect looks very different during this stadium of its life.
- The researchers observed significant physiological changes during the third stadium of the larval development process.

Usage: In biology, the plural form is often 'stadia' rather than 'stadiums'.

### 3. ancient racecourse

noun · CEFR C1 · Archaic

a track used for running races in ancient Greece.

For teachers: an ancient Greek course for foot races, typically tiered with seats for spectators.

- Visitors can still see the ruins of the ancient stadium where the first athletes ran.
- The archaeological site includes a well-preserved stadium where athletes once competed in the original Olympic games.

## Examples

- The fans are walking toward the stadium.
- The city built a new stadium to host the international football tournament next summer.
- Modern stadium design must balance the need for high-capacity seating with safety regulations and the acoustic requirements of large-scale musical performances.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.