Meaning of play in English
Table of contents
Pronunciation
/pleɪ/US accent
UK accent
to browse different examples of pronunciation.Verb
playEtymology
Old English pleg(i)an ‘to exercise’, plega ‘brisk movement’, related to Middle Dutch pleien‘leap for joy, dance’Definitions
1. participate in games or sportExamples
- « We played hockey all afternoon »
- « play cards »
- « Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches »
Derived terms
- 2. act or have an effect in a specified way or with a specific effect or outcome
Examples
- « This factor played only a minor part in his decision »
- « This development played into her hands »
- « I played no role in your dismissal »
- 3. play on an instrument
Examples
- « The band played all night long »
Derived terms
- 4. play a role or part
Examples
- « Gielgud played Hamlet »
- « She wants to act Lady Macbeth, but she is too young for the role »
- « She played the servant to her husband's master »
Derived terms
- 5. be at play
Examples
- « 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 »
Derived terms
- 6. replay (as a melody)
Examples
- « Play it again, Sam »
- « She played the third movement very beautifully »
Derived terms
- 7. perform music on (a musical instrument)
Examples
- « He plays the flute »
- « Can you play on this old recorder? »
Derived terms
- 8. pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind
Examples
- « He acted the idiot »
- « She plays deaf when the news are bad »
Derived terms
- 9. move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly
Examples
- « The spotlights played on the politicians »
Derived terms
- 10. bet or wager (money)
Examples
- « He played $20 on the new horse »
- « She plays the races »
Derived terms
- 11. engage in recreational activities rather than work
Examples
- « occupy oneself in a diversion »
- « On weekends I play »
- « The students all recreate alike »
Derived terms
- 12. pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity
Examples
- « Let's play like I am mommy »
- « Play cowboy and Indians »
- 13. emit recorded sound
Examples
- « The tape was playing for hours »
- « the stereo was playing Beethoven when I entered »
- 14. perform on a certain location
Examples
- « The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16 »
- « She has been playing on Broadway for years »
Derived terms
- 15. put (a card or piece) into play during a game, or act strategically as if in a card game
Examples
- « He is playing his cards close to his chest »
- « The Democrats still have some cards to play before they will concede the electoral victory »
Derived terms
- 16. engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously
Examples
- « They played games on their opponents »
- « play the stockmarket »
- « play with her feelings »
- « toy with an idea »
Derived terms
- 17. behave in a certain way
Examples
- « play safe »
- « play it safe »
- « play fair »
- 18. cause to emit recorded sounds
Examples
- « They ran the tapes over and over again »
- « Can you play my favorite record? »
- 19. manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination
Examples
- « She played nervously with her wedding ring »
- « Don't fiddle with the screws »
- « He played with the idea of running for the Senate »
Derived terms
- 20. use to one's advantage
Examples
- « She plays on her clients' emotions »
Derived terms
- 21. consider not very seriously
Examples
- « He is trifling with her »
- « She plays with the thought of moving to Tasmania »
- 22. be received or accepted or interpreted in a specific way
Examples
- « This speech didn't play well with the American public »
- « His remarks played to the suspicions of the committee »
- 23. behave carelessly or indifferently
Examples
- « Play about with a young girl's affection »
Derived terms
- 24. cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space
Examples
- « The engine has a wheel that is playing in a rack »
Derived terms
- 25. perform on a stage or theater
Examples
- « She acts in this play »
- « He acted in 'Julius Caesar' »
- « I played in 'A Christmas Carol' »
Derived terms
- 26. be performed
Examples
- « What's playing in the local movie theater? »
- « 'Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years »
Derived terms
- 27. cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
Examples
- « I cannot work a miracle »
- « wreak havoc »
- « bring comments »
- « play a joke »
- « The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area »
- 28. discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream
Examples
- « play water from a hose »
- « The fountains played all day »
- 29. make bets
Examples
- « Play the reaces »
- « play the casinos in Trouville »
Derived terms
- 30. stake on the outcome of an issue
Examples
- « I bet $100 on that new horse »
- « She played all her money on the dark horse »
Derived terms
- 31. shoot or hit in a particular manner
Examples
- « She played a good backhand last night »
Derived terms
- 32. use or move
Examples
- « I had to play my queen »
- 33. employ in a game or in a specific position
Examples
- « They played him on first base »
- 34. contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle
Examples
- « Princeton plays Yale this weekend »
- « Charlie likes to play Mary »
Derived terms
- 35. exhaust by allowing to pull on the line
Examples
- « play a hooked fish »
Noun
playDefinitions
1. a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stageExamples
- « he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway »
Derived terms
- 2. a theatrical performance of a drama
Examples
- « the play lasted two hours »
Derived terms
- 3. a preset plan of action in team sports
Examples
- « the coach drew up the plays for her team »
- 4. a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill
Examples
- « he made a great maneuver »
- « the runner was out on a play by the shortstop »
Derived terms
- 5. a state in which action is feasible
Examples
- « the ball was still in play »
- « insiders said the company's stock was in play »
- 6. utilization or exercise
Examples
- « the play of the imagination »
- 7. an attempt to get something
Examples
- « they made a futile play for power »
- « he made a bid to gain attention »
Derived terms
- 8. play by children that is guided more by imagination than by fixed rules
Examples
- « Freud believed in the utility of play to a small child »
- 9. (in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds
Examples
- « rain stopped play in the 4th inning »
Derived terms
- 10. the removal of constraints
Examples
- « he gave free rein to his impulses »
- « they gave full play to the artist's talent »
- 11. a weak and tremulous light
Examples
- « the shimmer of colors on iridescent feathers »
- « the play of light on the water »
Derived terms
- 12. verbal wit (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously)
Examples
- « he became a figure of fun »
- 13. movement or space for movement
Examples
- « there was too much play in the steering wheel »
Antonyms
- 14. gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement
Examples
- « it was all done in play »
- « their frolic in the surf threatened to become ugly »
Derived terms
- 15. the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize)
Examples
- « his gambling cost him a fortune »
- « there was heavy play at the blackjack table »
Derived terms
- 16. the activity of doing something in an agreed succession
Examples
- « it is my turn »
- « it is still my play »
- 17. the act using a sword (or other weapon) vigorously and skillfully
Famous quotes
- « We should have a State in which we could live and breathe as free men and which we could develop according to our own lights and culture and where principles of Islamic social justice could find free play. » Muhammad Ali Jinnah
- « I have nothing but sympathy for the people who are forced to work with me. I'm better now at picking out those that want to play that game with me, and those that don't. » Alton Brown
- « It never occurred to me that I'd be on a television show or in feature films but when those came into play my dreams changed along the way. » Camryn Manheim
- « My play Safe Sex was picked apart because critics thought it was untrue. It was a play in which no one had AIDS, but the characters talked about how it was going to change their lives. » Harvey Fierstein
- « I'm hosting weekend retreats all over America. It is like a 24-hour slumber party for moms. We laugh, eat, play games, get massages, win prizes, talk about parenting and even cry a bit. » Lisa Whelchel