Arena vs. Stadium — What's the Difference?

An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators, and may be covered by a roof.

A stadium (plural stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event at the ancient Greek Olympic festival was the race that comprised one length of the stadion at Olympia, where the word "stadium" originated.Most of the stadiums with a capacity of at least 10,000 are used for association football. Other popular stadium sports include gridiron football, baseball, cricket, the various codes of rugby, field lacrosse, bandy, and bullfighting.

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

A large, usually open structure for sports events with tiered seating for spectators.

A building housing such an area.

A course on which foot races were held in ancient Greece, usually semicircular and having tiers of seats for spectators.

A place or scene where forces contend or events unfold

An ancient Greek measure of distance, based on the length of such a course and equal to about 185 meters (607 feet).

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

(Medicine) A stage or period in the course of a disease.

An enclosed area, often outdoor, for the presentation of sporting events (sports arena) or other spectacular events; earthen area, often oval, specifically for rodeos (North America) or circular area for bullfights (especially Hispanic America).

(Biology) A stage in the development or life history of an organism.

The building housing such an area; specifically, a very large, often round building, often topped with a dome, designated for indoor sporting or other major events, such as concerts.

A venue where sporting events are held.

(historical) The sand-covered centre of an amphitheatre where contests were held in Ancient Rome.

An Ancient Greek racecourse, especially, the Olympic course for foot races.

A realm in which events take place; an area of interest, study, behaviour, etc.

(historical) stadion, a Greek unit of length equivalent to about 185 m.

The area in the central part of an amphitheater, in which the gladiators fought and other shows were exhibited; - so called because it was covered with sand.

A kind of telemeter for measuring the distance of an object of known dimensions, by observing the angle it subtends.

Any place of public contest or exertion; any sphere of action; as, the arenaof debate; the arena of life.

(surveying) a graduated rod used to measure the distance of the place where it stands from an instrument having a telescope, by observing the number of the graduations of the rod that are seen between certain parallel wires (stadia wires) in the field of view of the telescope.

"Sand" or "gravel" in the kidneys.

(biology) A life stage of an organism.

A particular environment or walk of life;

A Greek measure of length, being the chief one used for itinerary distances, also adopted by the Romans for nautical and astronomical measurements. It was equal to 600 Greek or 625 Roman feet, or 125 Roman paces, or to 606 feet 9 inches English. This was also called the Olympic stadium, as being the exact length of the foot-race course at Olympia.

The central area of an ancient Roman amphitheater where contests and spectacles were held; especially a sand-strewn area

A race course; especially, the Olympic course for foot races.

A large structure for open-air sports or entertainments

A modern structure, with its inclosure, resembling the ancient stadium{2}, used for athletic games which are typically played out-of-doors; such stadiums are usually large structures without roofs, though some modern stadiums may have a protective dome overhead. It may be contrasted with the arena, the term commonly used for smaller structures at which indoor games are played.

A playing field where sports events take place

A kind of telemeter for measuring the distance of an object of known dimensions, by observing the angle it subtends; especially (Surveying), a graduated rod used to measure the distance of the place where it stands from an instrument having a telescope, by observing the number of the graduations of the rod that are seen between certain parallel wires (stadia wires) in the field of view of the telescope; - also called stadia, and stadia rod.

A large structure for open-air sports or entertainments