name
Tetris
TEHT-rihs
Tetris (name) means a classic puzzle video game where falling blocks made of four squares must be arranged to clear full lines. Example: “He spent the whole train ride playing Tetris on his phone.”
name
1
A classic puzzle video game where falling blocks made of four squares must be arranged to clear full lines.
"There is one nice moment in the music, but it's not the moment identified by the owner of the system, and one idiot goes so far as to gush, "This is better than Tetris!""
— Matt O'Keefe, You Think You Hear (2001)
"He spent the whole train ride playing Tetris on his phone."
"From the kitchen the guy said, "I write science fiction. Or I'm trying to write. I've been staring at that screen for three days. You just interrupted a one-hour Tetris marathon. I need to talk to a real human being.""
— David Skibbins, The Star: A Tarot Card Mystery (2007)
verb
1
To fit oddly shaped items neatly into a tight space, by analogy with the game.
"We had to tetris the boxes into the back of the van."
How to use Tetris
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe famous falling-blocks puzzle game, or informally, the act of cleverly packing odd shapes into a limited space.
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Word forms
- Plural
- Tetrises
- Third person singular
- tetrises
- Past tense
- tetrised
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
He spent the whole train ride playing _____ on his phone.
Etymology
Coined by its Russian creator Alexey Pajitnov by blending the Greek prefix "tetra-" (referring to the four-square pieces) with "tennis", his favourite sport.
Frequently asked questions
What does “Tetris” mean?
The word “Tetris” means a classic puzzle video game where falling blocks made of four squares must be arranged to clear full lines. In plain terms, the famous falling-blocks puzzle game, or informally, the act of cleverly packing odd shapes into a limited space.
How do you pronounce “Tetris”?
“Tetris” is pronounced TEHT-rihs (/ˈtɛtɹɪs/ in IPA).
How do you use “Tetris” in a sentence?
Here is “Tetris” used in a sentence: “He spent the whole train ride playing Tetris on his phone.”
What part of speech is “Tetris”?
Depending on how it is used, “Tetris” can be a name and a verb.
Where does the word “Tetris” come from?
The word “Tetris” comes from Greek. Coined by its Russian creator Alexey Pajitnov by blending the Greek prefix "tetra-" (referring to the four-square pieces) with "tennis", his favourite sport.
How many meanings does “Tetris” have?
“Tetris” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a classic puzzle video game where falling blocks made of four squares must be arranged to clear full lines.
