play

Meaning

Verb

1. To act in a manner such that one has fun; to engage in activities expressly for the purpose of recreation or entertainment.
2. To toy or trifle; to act with levity or thoughtlessness; to be careless.
3. To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game).
4. To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game).
5. To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game).
6. To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game).
7. To act or behave in a stated way.
8. To act or behave in a stated way.
9. To act as (the indicated role).
10. To act as (the indicated role).
11. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
12. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
13. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
14. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
15. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
16. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
17. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
18. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.
19. To move briskly, sweepingly, back and forth, in a directed manner, etc.
20. To move briskly, sweepingly, back and forth, in a directed manner, etc.
21. To move briskly, sweepingly, back and forth, in a directed manner, etc.
22. To bring into action or motion; to exhibit in action; to execute or deploy.
23. To handle or deal with (a matter or situation) in a stated way.
24. To handle or deal with (something) in a calculating manner intended to achieve profit or gain.
25. To be received or accepted (in a given way); to go down.
26. To gamble.
27. To keep in play, as a hooked fish in order to land it.
28. (colloquial) To manipulate, deceive, or swindle.
29. To kid; to joke; to say something for amusement; to act, or to treat something, unseriously.
30. To take part in amorous activity; to make love; see also play around.
31. 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.

Noun

1. Activity for amusement only, especially among the young.
2. Similar activity in young animals, as they explore their environment and learn new skills.
3. The conduct, or course, of a game.
4. An individual's performance in a sport or game.
5. A short sequence of action within a game.
6. A short sequence of action within a game.
7. A literary composition, intended to be represented by actors impersonating the characters and speaking the dialogue.
8. A theatrical performance featuring actors.
9. An attempt to move forward, as in a plan or strategy, for example by a business, investor, or political party.
10. A geological formation that contains an accumulation or prospect of hydrocarbons or other resources.
11. Movement (of a pattern of light etc.)
12. Freedom to move.
13. Freedom to move.
14. (informal) Sexual activity or sexual role-playing.
15. An instance of watching or listening to media.
16. An instance or instances of causing media to be watched or heard, such as by broadcasting.
17. A button that, when pressed, causes media to be played.
18. An instance of wordplay.
19. Activity relating to martial combat or fighting.

Concepts

play

sport

game

perform

act

drama

frolic

have fun

pastime

show

fun

performance

dance

toy

joke

recreation

move

represent

romp

dally

do

jest

gamble

render

blow

work

amuse oneself

gambol

tease

amusement

dramatic performance

trifle

turn

give

gambling

pleasure

bet

beat

depict

present

entertainment

pretend

diversion

gaming

meet

wager

run

recreate

behave

ring

sing

constitute

offer

reenact

make

lark

deal

impersonate

fiddle

stage

playact

looseness

spectacle

hit

playing

amuse

relax

bid

introduce

enact

theatrical performance

flutter

act as

child’s play

encounter

take on

diddle

bring

wreak

spiel

dramatic play

period of play

playing period

shoot

sound

strike

prank

trick

theatre play

operate

fight

games

put

commit

toll

be amused

be playful

sports

portray

banter

twiddle

dramatic composition

make fun of

frisk

carnival

trifling

dalliance

swordplay

caper

maneuver

manoeuvre

make for

roleplay

flirt

shimmer

free rein

acting

activity

practice

squirt

play about

preform

toy with

sing and dance

play instrument

have a party

flow

strum

bear

conduct

come up

latitude

bat

back

athletic game

carry

shift

transfer

transplant

function

go

officiate

serve

fetch

produce

slack

backlash

gap

interpret

bagpipes

donate

grant

make an offer of

offer up

sacrifice

tender

speculate in stocks

act for

describe

express

register

stand for

carry out

cause

wage

read

drum -

design

theatre

theater/musical piece

caprice

flirtation

kyogen

make someone eat

make a visit

plaything

accomplish

stage performance

blare

script

make music

produce melody

making music

playing a musical instrument

playing music

production

contest

leisure

hazard

risk

film

representation

piece

associate

consort

matinee

mirth

jump up

wave

make amorous gestures

playing with dice

particularly

theatrical show

move about

divert oneself

buffoon

said of a band of music

fool

dandle

action

operation

working

freedom

opportunity

room for action

attention

patronage

publicity

flit

flicker

glitter

ripple

vibrate

sway lightly

engage in games

entertain oneself

cooperate

comply

agree

conduct oneself

programme

disport

comedy

oppose

stand up to

fountain up

jet

sprut out

spurt up

well up

play one another

play against

be noisy

romp about

drame

breed

fool around

monkey

rollick

dido

ball

ball game

baseball

softball

memorize

program

stage show

attack

abuse

forge

poke

spear

spit

stab

song

loiter

tarry

partake

run around

book

old

oldie

trashy

ham

lowbrow

boccia

batch

block

item

lot

period

portion

appear

carry on

occur

act out

adduce

advance

affect

air

bring forth

deliver

execute

instance

propose

put forward

raise

retell

set out

sound out

gad

go out

jollify

frivolity

fiddle with

give-and-take

toying

make-believe

pretense

flight

flying

lento

sortie

circulate

margin

sea room

wiggle room

baggy

lax

loose

loose-fitting

sloppy

unfixed

bang

bash

beat out

belt

carom

clout

defeat

drive

kill

knock

mint

nail

racket

ram

slap

smite

stamp out

swing

thump out

top

whip

whop

worst

bet on

punt

dramatic work

bout

match

football play

leg-pull

leg-pulling

practical joke

waggery

eject

force out

inject

spray

squeeze out

squish

syringe

alien

alienate

assign

bring forward

carry forward

carry over

defer

dislocate

dislodge

displace

dispose

disturb

evacuate

form

manoeuver

negociate

offload

pass on

pin

port

propagate

put over

reassign

redeploy

relocate

reschedule

saltate

submit

take

transfuse

translocate

adjournment

assignment

commutation

movement

passage

redeployment

secondment

substitution

switch

transference

translation

translocation

transplantation

chime

peal

busk

call

call in

call up

phone

play back

strike up

telephone

artifice

conjuration

dodge

jugglery

stunt

subterfuge

thaumaturgy

twist

wheeze

wile

come off

fill

go about

work out

put out

bring out

derive

generate

manufacture

output

pay

realise

return

set up

turn out

utter

yield

brinkmanship

crapshoot

gambling game

game of chance

founder

go down

go under

settle

sink

submerge

submerse

accredit

affirm

amplify

ascertain

authenticate

back up

bear out

bolster up

boost

build

buttress

cement

certify

confirm

consolidate

corroborate

document

establish

fortify

intensify

officialise

ratify

reconfirm

reinforce

strengthen

substantiate

toughen

transistorise

transistorize

underpin

validate

verify

vouch

harass

tucker

guess

draft

drag

draught

draw

pull

stroke

swimming stroke

taxis

temptation

tow

traction

veto

flip

apply

break off

catch

feel

sharp

touch

turn on

dramatization

in high spirits

make merry

pose

clearance

wobble

recess

pour out

ring out

buy

etc.

get

play with toy

chat

piece of music

pluck

literary work

track

account

agent

be

mean

picture

speak

stand

symbolize

recite

sight

view

compete

star

re-enact

come out

erupt

exude

gush

spout

air gap

lost motion

lead

novel

develop

evolve

exercise

expound

part

tableau

ceilidh

merriment

playfulness

strewing

high jinks

jocularity

laugh

pleasantry

privateer

behaviour

melodramatics

theatricals

theatrics

imbed

typeset

personate

personify

report

comport

jack around

boil

play a game

at play

impeach

rebound

careless

play with

shout

Pronounced as (IPA)

/pleɪ/

Etymology

From Middle English pleyen, playen, pleȝen, plæien, also Middle English plaȝen, plawen (compare English plaw), from Old English pleġan, pleoġan, plæġan, and Old English plegian, pleagian, plagian (“to play, exercise, etc.”), from Proto-West Germanic *plehan (“to care about, be concerned with”) and Proto-West Germanic *plegōn (“to engage, move”); both perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *blek- (“to move, move about”), from Proto-Indo-European *bal- (compare Ancient Greek βλύω (blúō), βλύζω (blúzō, “I gush out, spring”), Sanskrit बल्बलीति (balbalīti, “it whirls, twirls”)).
cognates and related terms
Cognate with Scots play (“to act or move briskly, cause to move, stir”), Saterland Frisian pleegje (“to look after, care for, maintain”), West Frisian pleegje, pliigje (“to commit, perform, bedrive”), Middle Dutch pleyen ("to dance, leap for joy, rejoice, be glad"; compare Modern Dutch pleien (“to play a particular children's game”)), Dutch plegen (“to commit, bedrive, practice”), German pflegen (“to care for, be concerned with, attend to, tend”). Related also to Old English plēon (“to risk, endanger”). More at plight, pledge.
The noun is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, plega, plæġa (“play, quick motion, movement, exercise; (athletic) sport, game; festivity, drama; battle; gear for games, an implement for a game; clapping with the hands, applause”), deverbative of plegian (“to play”); see above.

Sentences

Children come to play in the area provided for them .

The Greek musicians play on small portable folk style instruments .

He accepted a scholarship to play locally at Wichita State University .