play

Plural: plays

Noun

• a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
  • "he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway"
• a theatrical performance of a drama
  • "the play lasted two hours"
• a preset plan of action in team sports
  • "the coach drew up the plays for her team"
• a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill
  • "the runner was out on a play by the shortstop"
• a state in which action is feasible
  • "the ball was still in play"
  • "insiders said the company's stock was in play"
• utilization or exercise
  • "the play of the imagination"
• an attempt to get something
  • "they made a futile play for power"
• activity by children that is guided more by imagination than by fixed rules
  • "Freud believed in the utility of play to a small child"
• (in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds
  • "rain stopped play in the 4th inning"
• the removal of constraints
  • "they gave full play to the artist's talent"
• a weak and tremulous light
  • "the play of light on the water"
• verbal wit or mockery (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously)
• movement or space for movement
  • "there was too much play in the steering wheel"
• gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement
  • "it was all done in play"
• (game) the activity of doing something in an agreed succession
  • "it is still my play"
• the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize)
  • "there was heavy play at the blackjack table"
• the act using a sword (or other weapon) vigorously and skillfully
• Activity for amusement only, especially among the young.
• Similar activity in young animals, as they explore their environment and learn new skills.
• The conduct, or course, of a game.
• The sphere or circumstance in which a playing implement, such as a ball, is available to be played (see also in play, out of play).
• An individual's performance in a sport or game.
• A short sequence of action within a game.
• A short sequence of action within a game.
• An action carried out when it is one's turn to play.
• A literary composition, intended to be represented by actors impersonating the characters and speaking the dialogue.
• A theatrical performance featuring actors.
• An attempt to move forward, as in a plan or strategy, for example by a business, investor, or political party.
• A geological formation that contains an accumulation or prospect of hydrocarbons or other resources.
• Movement (of a pattern of light etc.)
• Freedom to move.
• Freedom to move.
• The extent to which a part of a mechanism can move freely, as for example lash, backlash, or slack.
• Sexual activity or sexual role-playing.
• An instance of watching or listening to media.
• An instance or instances of causing media to be watched or heard, such as by broadcasting.
• A button that, when pressed, causes media to be played.
• An instance of wordplay.
• Activity relating to martial combat or fighting.

Verb

Verb Forms: played, playing, plays

• To engage in amusement, sport, or a performance; to participate in a game.
• participate in games or sport
  • "We played hockey all afternoon"
  • "play cards"
  • "Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches"
• act or have an effect in a specified way or with a specific effect or outcome
  • "This factor played only a minor part in his decision"
  • "This development played into her hands"
  • "I played no role in your dismissal"
• play on an instrument
  • "The band played all night long"
• play a role or part
  • "Gielgud played Hamlet"
  • "She played the servant to her husband's master"
• be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children
  • "The kids were playing outside all day"
  • "I used to play with trucks as a little girl"
• replay (as a melody)
  • "Play it again, Sam"
  • "She played the third movement very beautifully"
• perform music on (a musical instrument)
  • "He plays the flute"
  • "Can you play on this old recorder?"
• pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind
  • "She plays deaf when the news are bad"
• move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly
  • "The spotlights played on the politicians"
• bet or wager (money)
  • "He played $20 on the new horse"
  • "She plays the races"
• engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion
  • "On weekends I play"
• pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity
  • "Let's play like I am mommy"
  • "Play cowboy and Indians"
• emit recorded sound
  • "The tape was playing for hours"
  • "the stereo was playing Beethoven when I entered"
• perform on a certain location
  • "The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16"
  • "She has been playing on Broadway for years"
• put (a card or piece) into play during a game, or act strategically as if in a card game
  • "He is playing his cards close to his chest"
  • "The Democrats still have some cards to play before they will concede the electoral victory"
• engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously
  • "They played games on their opponents"
  • "play the stock market"
  • "play with her feelings"
• behave in a certain way
  • "play safe"
  • "play it safe"
  • "play fair"
• cause to emit recorded audio or video
  • "I'll play you my favorite record"
  • "He never tires of playing that video"
• manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination
  • "She played nervously with her wedding ring"
  • "He played with the idea of running for the Senate"
• use to one's advantage
  • "She plays on her clients' emotions"
• consider not very seriously
  • "She plays with the thought of moving to Tasmania"
• be received or accepted or interpreted in a specific way
  • "This speech didn't play well with the American public"
  • "His remarks played to the suspicions of the committee"
• behave carelessly or indifferently
  • "Play about with a young girl's affection"
• cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space
  • "The engine has a wheel that is playing in a rack"
• perform on a stage or theater
  • "She acts in this play"
  • "I played in `A Christmas Carol'"
• be performed or presented for public viewing
  • "What's playing in the local movie theater?"
  • "`Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years"
• cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
  • "play a joke"
• discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream
  • "play water from a hose"
  • "The fountains played all day"
• make bets
  • "Play the races"
  • "play the casinos in Trouville"
• stake on the outcome of an issue
  • "She played all her money on the dark horse"
• shoot or hit in a particular manner
  • "She played a good backhand last night"
• use or move
  • "I had to play my queen"
• employ in a game or in a specific position
  • "They played him on first base"
• contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle
  • "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"
  • "Charlie likes to play Mary"
• exhaust by allowing to pull on the line
  • "play a hooked fish"
• To act in a manner such that one has fun; to engage in activities expressly for the purpose of recreation or entertainment.
• To toy or trifle; to act with levity or thoughtlessness; to be careless.
• To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game).
• To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game).
• Specifying a particular sporting role or position.
• To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game).
• To compete against, in a game.
• To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game).
• To be the opposing score to.
• To contend or fight using weapons, both as practice or in real life-or-death combats; to engage in martial games; to joust; to fence
• To act or behave in a stated way.
• To act or behave in a stated way.
• To give a false appearance of being; to pretend to be.
• To act as (the indicated role).
• To act as (the indicated role).
• To portray (a character) in (a film or theatre).
• To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
• To produce music using a musical instrument.
• To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
• To produce music.
• To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
• To operate (a device or media) so as to cause sound (especially music) or moving pictures to be produced.
• To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
• To render (a musical title, compositional style, film title, etc.) using a musical instrument or device.
• To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
• To emit or relay sound (especially music) or moving pictures; (of a device) to operate media.
• To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
• To be performed, reproduced, or shown.
• To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
• To perform or give performances in or at (a venue or location).
• To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
• To act or perform (a play).
• To move briskly, sweepingly, back and forth, in a directed manner, etc.
• To move in a light or brisk manner.
• To move briskly, sweepingly, back and forth, in a directed manner, etc.
• To move so as to fall upon or sweep across something, or to direct or operate (something) in such a manner.
• To move briskly, sweepingly, back and forth, in a directed manner, etc.
• To move in an alternating or reciprocal manner; to move to and fro.
• To bring into action or motion; to exhibit in action; to execute or deploy.
• To handle or deal with (a matter or situation) in a stated way.
• To handle or deal with (something) in a calculating manner intended to achieve profit or gain.
• To be received or accepted (in a given way); to go down.
• To gamble.
• To keep in play, as a hooked fish in order to land it.
• To manipulate, deceive, or swindle.
• To kid; to joke; to say something for amusement; to act, or to treat something, unseriously.
• To take part in amorous activity; to make love; see also play around.
• For additional senses in various idiomatic phrases, see the individual entries, such as play along, play at, play down, play off, play on, play out, play to, play up, etc.

Examples

• ABC Widgets makes a play in the bicycle market with its bid to take over Acme Sprockets.
• After the rain break, play resumed at 3 o'clock.
• Can you play an instrument?
• Channel 9 is playing that old comedy series again.
• Children learn through play.
• Do you know how to play Für Elise on the piano?
• Don't play with your food!
• Don't play your radio so loud!
• Every Scrabble player hopes to play a challenging word that earns a high score.
• He made a fortune on Wall Street, playing the markets.
• He played the blue ball, but the green would have been a better choice.
• He plays dumb, but actually he's very clever.
• He plays left back for Mudchester Rovers
• He plays on three teams.
• He's just playing with her affections.
• His latest film is playing in the local theatre tomorrow.
• His play has improved a lot this season.
• How will this play in the swing states?
• I'll play the piano and you sing.
• I've practiced the piano off and on, but I still can't play very well.
• In potting the yellow ball, he's knocked the green into play.
• In this business you have to play the percentages.
• Look at the score now ... 23 plays 8!
• My cassette player won't play this worn-out old tape.
• My kids are acting in the school play this Christmas.
• No part of the brain plays the role of permanent memory.
• No wonder the fanbelt is slipping: there’s too much play in it.
• play football, play sports, play games
• Play the audio clip to hear how the word is pronounced.
• Play was very slow in the first half.
• press play
• She keeps playing 'Achy Breaky Heart' over and over again on her stereo.
• Some kind of lounge music was playing in the background.
• Stop playing the fool.
• That option has been removed from play.
• That video of my cat falling off the piano has had ten thousand plays.
• That was a great play by the Mudchester Rovers forward.
• That was a great shot he played!
• The band is playing large arenas nationwide.
• The bank robbers have three hostages inside, so we're going to have to play this very carefully.
• The children played in the park.
• The fountain plays.
• The game was abandoned after 20 minutes' play
• The juke box is playing our favourite song.
• The leaves played in the wind.
• The name Wiktionary is a play on the words wiki and dictionary.
• the play of light and shadow across the boy's face
• The radio was playing in the background.
• The song got a lot of play in the clubs.
• The torch beam played around the room.
• Their single got a play on the radio.
• They don't play with the rules around here.
• They played the jet of water onto the seat of the fire.
• This book contains all of Shakespeare's plays.
• This DVD is scratched and won't play.
• This kind of play helps the young lion cubs develop their hunting skills.
• This piano plays out of tune.
• This policy plays well with younger voters.
• to play a comedy
• to play a trump in a card game, to play tricks, to play a joke
• to play cannon upon a fortification
• to play safe, to play fair, to play dirty
• Too much play in a steering wheel may be dangerous.
• Turpin signals the Metric Party's long-term play for housing reform
• We especially like to play jazz together.
• We saw a two-act play in the theatre.
• We're playing one of the top teams in the next round.
• When a chess piece is captured, it is removed from play.
• When you're in a team, you have to play your part.
• Who played Scarlett O'Hara in 'Gone with the Wind'?
• Who's playing now?
• You can play the DVD now.
• You played me!

Synonyms

act, act as, bet, bid, bring, caper, child's play, dally, diddle, drama, dramatic play, encounter, fiddle, flirt, free rein, frolic, fun, gambling, gambol, gaming, looseness, make for, maneuver, manoeuvre, meet, period of play, playact, playing period, recreate, represent, roleplay, romp, run, shimmer, spiel, sport, swordplay, take on, toy, trifle, turn, wager, work, wreak, Formal terms, Informal and slang terms, Netflix and chill, approach, bang, bauf, beat, boff, boink, bone, bonk, bop, bounce, breed, bump nasties, bump uglies, catch a dick, cohabit, company, cook, copulate, couple, dance, defraud, dip one's pen in someone's inkwell, discuss Uganda, do it, do the deed, do the nasty, eff, engage in sex, engender, exchange flesh, expletive deleted, feck, frack, frak, frick, frig, fuck, get busy, get down, get freaky, get it, get it on, get jiggy, get laid, get lucky, get one's dick wet, get one's end away, get one's freak on, get one's groove on, get one's leg over, get one's oats, get physical, get some, get the dirty water off one's chest, go all the way, graft the forked tree, haul one's ashes, have intimate relations, have it away, have it off, have marital relations, have sex, have sexual relations, hide the salami, hide the sausage, hide the wienie, hike the Appalachian Trail, hook up, hump, intercourse, jam, jig-jig, knock boots, know, know someone in the biblical sense, lay pipe, lay the pipe, listen, make it, make love, make out, make the beast with two backs, make whoopee, mate, meddle, ming, move, penetrate, pipe, pipe down, play, play hide the sausage, put on, rail, ride, rock and roll, roger, roll around, root, screw, script, see someone's etchings, sex, shag, share a bed, shelve, show someone one's etchings, slap bellies, sleep together, stick, strain, tumble, view

Antonyms

tightness

Related Words

outdoor, PLAYABLE