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
• 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
• a state in which action is feasible
• utilization or exercise
• an attempt to get something
• activity by children that is guided more by imagination than by fixed rules
• (in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds
• the removal of constraints
• a weak and tremulous light
• verbal wit or mockery (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously)
• movement or space for movement
• gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement
• (game) the activity of doing something in an agreed succession
• the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize)
• the act using a sword (or other weapon) vigorously and skillfully
• plural of play

Verb

• participate in games or sport
• act or have an effect in a specified way or with a specific effect or outcome
• play on an instrument
• play a role or part
• be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children
• replay (as a melody)
• perform music on (a musical instrument)
  • "He plays the flute"
• 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
• bet or wager (money)
  • "She plays the races"
• engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion
• pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity
• emit recorded sound
• perform on a certain location
• put (a card or piece) into play during a game, or act strategically as if in a card game
• engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously
• behave in a certain way
• cause to emit recorded audio or video
• manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination
• 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
• behave carelessly or indifferently
• cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space
• perform on a stage or theater
• be performed or presented for public viewing
• cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
• discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream
• make bets
• stake on the outcome of an issue
• shoot or hit in a particular manner
• use or move
• employ in a game or in a specific position
• contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle
  • "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"
• exhaust by allowing to pull on the line
• third-person singular simple present indicative of play

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, play, playact, playing period, recreate, represent, roleplay, romp, run, shimmer, spiel, sport, swordplay, take on, toy, trifle, turn, wager, work, wreak

Antonyms

tightness