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Synonyms for play

Another word for play is drama, dramatic play or maneuver. Below are 11 synonyms and 30 related words across 12 senses.

Also searched as: played, plays.

1. noun: a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage

2. noun: a theatrical performance of a drama

3. noun: a preset plan of action in team sports

4. noun: a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill

5. noun: a state in which action is feasible

6. noun: utilization or exercise

7. noun: an attempt to get something

8. noun: activity by children that is guided more by imagination than by fixed rules

9. noun: (in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds

10. noun: the removal of constraints

11. noun: a weak and tremulous light

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

Related words

Broader, narrower and sibling terms from the same WordNet tree. They aren't interchangeable, but one of them is often the word you wanted.

Play in word games

Letters
4
Scrabble
9
Words With Friends
10
How common
Everyday word

Questions people ask

What is another word for play?

You can say drama, dramatic play, maneuver, manoeuvre or bid instead of play. Which one fits depends on the sense; the first sense above means "a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage".

What is the opposite of play?

WordNet lists no direct antonym for play; the nearest opposites depend on which sense you mean.

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Senses and synonyms from Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0); the most common words come first. Browse more on the synonyms and antonyms hub.