Play definition

Play as a verb

1. participate in games or sport

   "We played hockey all afternoon"

2. 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"

3. play on an instrument

   "The band played all night long"

4. play a role or part

   "Gielgud played Hamlet"

   Same sense: act, represent

5. be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children

   "The kids were playing outside all day"

6. replay (as a melody)

   "Play it again, Sam"

   Same sense: spiel

7. perform music on (a musical instrument)

   "He plays the flute"

8. pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind

   "She plays deaf when the news are bad"

   Same sense: act, act as

9. move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly

   "The spotlights played on the politicians"

10. bet or wager (money)

    "He played $20 on the new horse"

11. engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion

    "On weekends I play"

    Same sense: recreate

12. pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity

    "Let's play like I am mommy"

13. emit recorded sound

    "The tape was playing for hours"

14. perform on a certain location

    "The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16"

15. 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"

16. engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously

    "They played games on their opponents"

    Same sense: toy

17. behave in a certain way

    "play safe"

18. cause to emit recorded audio or video

    "I'll play you my favorite record"

    Same sense: run

19. manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination

    "She played nervously with her wedding ring"

    Same sense: toy, fiddle, diddle

20. use to one's advantage

    "She plays on her clients' emotions"

21. consider not very seriously

    "She plays with the thought of moving to Tasmania"

    Same sense: trifle, dally

22. be received or accepted or interpreted in a specific way

    "This speech didn't play well with the American public"

23. behave carelessly or indifferently

    "Play about with a young girl's affection"

    Same sense: toy, flirt, dally

24. cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space

    "The engine has a wheel that is playing in a rack"

25. perform on a stage or theater

    "She acts in this play"

    Same sense: act, roleplay, playact

26. be performed or presented for public viewing

    "What's playing in the local movie theater?"

27. cause to happen or to occur as a consequence

    "play a joke"

    Same sense: make for, work, bring, wreak

28. discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream

    "play water from a hose"

29. make bets

    "Play the races"

30. stake on the outcome of an issue

    "She played all her money on the dark horse"

    Same sense: bet, wager

31. shoot or hit in a particular manner

    "She played a good backhand last night"

32. use or move

    "I had to play my queen"

33. employ in a game or in a specific position

    "They played him on first base"

34. contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle

    "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"

    Same sense: take on, meet, encounter

35. exhaust by allowing to pull on the line

    "play a hooked fish"

Play as a noun

36. a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage

    "he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway"

    Same sense: drama, dramatic play

37. a theatrical performance of a drama

    "the play lasted two hours"

38. a preset plan of action in team sports

    "the coach drew up the plays for her team"

39. a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill

    "the runner was out on a play by the shortstop"

    Same sense: maneuver, manoeuvre

40. a state in which action is feasible

    "the ball was still in play"

41. utilization or exercise

    "the play of the imagination"

42. an attempt to get something

    "they made a futile play for power"

    Same sense: bid

43. activity by children that is guided more by imagination than by fixed rules

    "Freud believed in the utility of play to a small child"

44. (in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds

    "rain stopped play in the 4th inning"

    Same sense: period of play, playing period

45. the removal of constraints

    "they gave full play to the artist's talent"

    Same sense: free rein

46. a weak and tremulous light

    "the play of light on the water"

    Same sense: shimmer

47. verbal wit or mockery (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously)

    Same sense: fun, sport

48. movement or space for movement

    "there was too much play in the steering wheel"

    Same sense: looseness

49. gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement

    "it was all done in play"

    Same sense: caper, romp, frolic, gambol

50. (game) the activity of doing something in an agreed succession

    "it is still my play"

    Same sense: turn

51. 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"

    Same sense: gaming, gambling

52. the act using a sword (or other weapon) vigorously and skillfully

    Same sense: swordplay

Synonyms and antonyms

• act definition
• represent
• spiel
• act as
• recreate
• toy
• run definition
• fiddle
• diddle
• trifle
• dally
• flirt
• roleplay
• playact
• make for
• work definition
• bring definition
• wreak
• bet
• wager
• take on
• meet definition
• encounter
• drama

All synonyms of play, sense by sense

How to say play

Play has 1 syllable and rhymes with they. Syllable counts and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary.

Words that rhyme with play

• they
• way
• may
• day
• say
• away
• today
• pay
• stay
• re
• ok
• hey

PLAY in word games

Scrabble

9

Words With Friends

10

Anagrams

1

Is PLAY a valid Scrabble word? Yes, it is in the ENABLE list most word games use. Check PLAY in the word checker, or unscramble PLAY to see its 1 anagram and the shorter words in its letters.