Dictionary Definition
play
Noun
1 a dramatic work intended for performance by
actors on a stage; "he wrote several plays but only one was
produced on Broadway" [syn: drama, dramatic
play]
2 a theatrical performance of a drama; "the play
lasted two hours"
3 a preset plan of action in team sports; "the
coach drew up the plays for her team"
4 a deliberate coordinated movement requiring
dexterity and skill; "he made a great maneuver"; "the runner was
out on a play by the shortstop" [syn: maneuver, manoeuvre]
5 a state in which action is feasible; "the ball
was still in play"; "insiders said the company's stock was in
play"
6 utilization or exercise; "the play of the
imagination"
7 an attempt to get something; "they made a
futile play for power"; "he made a bid to gain attention" [syn:
bid]
8 play by children that is guided more by
imagination than by fixed rules; "Freud believed in the utility of
play to a small child" [syn: child's
play]
9 (in games or plays or other performances) the
time during which play proceeds; "rain stopped play in the 4th
inning" [syn: playing
period, period of
play]
10 the removal of constraints; "he gave free rein
to his impulses"; "they gave full play to the artist's talent"
[syn: free
rein]
11 a weak and tremulous light; "the shimmer of
colors on iridescent feathers"; "the play of light on the water"
[syn: shimmer]
12 verbal wit (often at another's expense but not
to be taken seriously); "he became a figure of fun" [syn: fun, sport]
13 movement or space for movement; "there was too
much play in the steering wheel" [syn: looseness] [ant: tightness]
14 gay or light-hearted recreational activity for
diversion or amusement; "it was all done in play"; "their frolic in
the surf threatened to become ugly" [syn: frolic, romp, gambol, caper]
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); "his gambling cost him a fortune"; "there was heavy play at
the blackjack table" [syn: gambling, gaming]
16 the activity of doing something in an agreed
succession; "it is my turn"; "it is still my play" [syn: turn]
17 the act using a sword (or other weapon)
vigorously and skillfully [syn: swordplay]
Verb
1 participate in games or sport; "We played
hockey all afternoon"; "play cards"; "Pele played for the Brazilian
teams in many important matches"
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"; "This development played into her hands"; "I
played no role in your dismissal"
3 play on an instrument; "The band played all
night long"
4 play a role or part; "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" [syn: 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"; "I used to play with trucks as a little
girl"
6 replay (as a melody); "Play it again, Sam";
"She played the third movement very beautifully" [syn: spiel]
7 perform music on (a musical instrument); "He
plays the flute"; "Can you play on this old recorder?"
8 pretend to have certain qualities or state of
mind; "He acted the idiot"; "She plays deaf when the news are bad"
[syn: 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"; "She plays the races"
11 engage in recreational activities rather than
work; occupy oneself in a diversion; "On weekends I play"; "The
students all recreate alike" [syn: recreate]
12 pretend to be somebody in the framework of a
game or playful activity; "Let's play like I am mommy"; "Play
cowboy and Indians"
13 emit recorded sound; "The tape was playing for
hours"; "the stereo was playing Beethoven when I entered"
14 perform on a certain location; "The prodigy
played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16"; "She has been playing on
Broadway for years"
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"; "The Democrats still have some cards to play
before they will concede the electoral victory"
16 engage in an activity as if it were a game
rather than take it seriously; "They played games on their
opponents"; "play the stockmarket"; "play with her feelings"; "toy
with an idea" [syn: toy]
17 behave in a certain way; "play safe"; "play it
safe"; "play fair"
18 cause to emit recorded sounds; "They ran the
tapes over and over again"; "Can you play my favorite record?"
[syn: run]
19 manipulate manually or in one's mind or
imagination; "She played nervously with her wedding ring"; "Don't
fiddle with the screws"; "He played with the idea of running for
the Senate" [syn: toy,
fiddle, diddle]
20 use to one's advantage; "She plays on her
clients' emotions"
21 consider not very seriously; "He is trifling
with her"; "She plays with the thought of moving to Tasmania" [syn:
dally, trifle]
22 be received or accepted or interpreted in a
specific way; "This speech didn't play well with the American
public"; "His remarks played to the suspicions of the
committee"
23 behave carelessly or indifferently; "Play
about with a young girl's affection" [syn: dally, toy, flirt]
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"; "He acted in `Julius Caesar'"; "I played in `A
Christmas Carol'" [syn: act,
roleplay, playact]
26 be performed; "What's playing in the local
movie theater?"; "`Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many
years"
27 cause to happen or to occur as a consequence;
"I cannot work a miracle"; "wreak havoc"; "bring comments"; "play a
joke"; "The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area" [syn:
bring, work, wreak, make for]
28 discharge or direct or be discharged or
directed as if in a continuous stream; "play water from a hose";
"The fountains played all day"
29 make bets; "Play the reaces"; "play the
casinos in Trouville"
30 stake on the outcome of an issue; "I bet $100
on that new horse"; "She played all her money on the dark horse"
[syn: 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"; "Charlie likes to
play Mary" [syn: meet,
encounter, take on]
35 exhaust by allowing to pull on the line; "play
a hooked fish"
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Pronunciation
- , /pleɪ/, /pleI/
- Rhymes: -eɪ
Etymology 1
Old English pleġa, plæġaNoun
- Activity for amusement only, especially among the young.
- A literary composition, intended to be represented by actors impersonating the characters and speaking the dialogue.
- A theatrical performance featuring actors.
- An individual's performance in a sport.
- A major move by a business.
- A geological formation that contains an accumulation or prospect of hydrocarbons or other resources.
- An area of free movement for a part of a mechanism. such as the
amount of slackness in
a drive chain.
- No wonder the fanbelt is slipping: there’s too much play in it.
- Too much play in a steering wheel may be dangerous.
- No wonder the fanbelt is slipping: there’s too much play in it.
- (turn-based games) An action carried out when it is one's turn to play.
Synonyms
literary compositionTranslations
playful activity
- Albanian: lojë
- Arabic: لعبة
- Catalan: joc
- Croatian: igra
- Czech: hra
- Danish: leg, spil
- Dutch: spel
- Esperanto: ludo
- Ewe: fefe
- Finnish: leikki, peli
- French: jeu
- German: Spiel
- Hebrew: משחק (misḥāq) , שעשוע (shāʿāshuʿā)
- Hungarian: játék
- Italian: gioco
- Kurdish:
- Kurmanji: yarî, lîstik
- Sorani: یاری, وازی
- Kurmanji: yarî, lîstik
- Latin: ludus
- Malayalam: കളി (kaLi)
- Norwegian: spill
- Polish: zabawa
- Portuguese: jogo
- Romanian: joc
- Russian: игра
- Slovak: hra
- Slovene: igra
- Spanish: juego
- Swedish: spel
literary composition
- Finnish: näytelmä
theatrical performance
- Arabic: (másraħ) ,
- Catalan: obra
- Chinese: 戲劇, 戏剧 (xìjù), 话剧 (huàjù)
- Czech: hra
- Danish: stykke, spil
- Dutch: optreden, schouwspel, toneelstuk, stuk
- Ewe: fefe
- Finnish: näytelmä
- French: pièce
- German: Schauspiel
- Hebrew: משחק
- Hungarian: darab, színdarab
- Italian: dramma
- Japanese: 演劇 (えんげき, engeki)
- Korean: 연극 (yeon-geuk)
- Kurdish: şano, piyes, tiyatro
- Malayalam: നാടകം (naatakam)
- Polish: sztuka
- Portuguese: peça teatral
- Russian: пьеса, спектакль
- Slovak: hra
- Slovene: igra
- Spanish: obra teatral
- Swedish: pjäs
- Telugu: నాటకం (naaTakaM)
individual's performance in a sport
- Dutch: spelbeweging
- Finnish: peli
- Hebrew: משחק
- Kurdish: yarî , lîstik
- Polish: gra
- Slovene: igra
- Swedish: spel
major move by a business
- Finnish: siirto
geological formation
- Finnish: kenttä, esiintymä
area of free movement for a part of a mechanism
- Finnish: välys, klappi, löysä
- Hungarian: holtjáték
- Spanish: juego
action carried out when it is one's turn to play
- Finnish: siirto, peli
Etymology 2
etyl ang plegian.Verb
- : To act in a manner such that one has fun; to engage in activities
expressly for the purpose of recreation.
- 2001 February, Annabelle Sabloff, Reordering the Natural World,
page 83, University of Toronto Press
- A youngster...listed some of the things his pet did not do: ...go on vacation, play in the same way that he did with his friends, and so on.
- 2003 November, Anne-Nelly Perret-Clermont et al. (editors),
Joining Society: Social Interaction and Learning in Adolescence and
Youth, page 52, Cambridge University
- We had to play for an hour, so that meant that we didn't have time to play and joke around.
- 2001 February, Annabelle Sabloff, Reordering the Natural World,
page 83, University of Toronto Press
- : To produce music using a musical instrument.
-
- I've practiced the piano off and on, and I still can't play very well.
-
- : To deal with a situation in a diplomatic manner.
- : To act in a performance as the indicated role.
-
- He plays the King, and she's the Queen.
-
- : To participate in the game indicated.
-
- play football, play sports
- play cards, play poker
- play cat and mouse, play games
- play house, play doctor
-
- : To produce music on the indicated musical instrument.
-
- I'll play the piano and you sing.
- Can you play an instrument?
-
- : To produce music, the indicated song or style, with a musical
instrument.
-
- We especially like to play jazz together.
- Play a song for me.
- Do you know how to play Für Elise?
- My son thinks he can play music.
-
- : To use a device to watch or listen to the indicated
recording.
-
- You can play the DVD now.
-
Translations
act in a manner such that one has fun
- Aleut: mikal
- Arabic:
- Catalan: jugar
- Chinese: 玩 (wán)
- Czech: hrát si
- Dutch: spelen
- Esperanto: ludi
- Finnish: leikkiä
- French: jouer
- German: spielen
- Hebrew: לשחק (l'sāḥeq), להשתעשע (l'hishtāʿāsheʿā)
- Hungarian: játszik
- Icelandic: leika, leika sér
- Italian: giocare
- Japanese: 遊ぶ (asobu)
- Korean: 놀다 (nolda)
- Latin: lūdere
- Old English: lacan
- Pashto: , ,
- Polish: bawić (się)
- Portuguese: jogar
- Romanian: juca
- Russian: играть
- Slovak: hrať sa
- Slovene: igrati se
- Spanish: jugar
- Swedish: leka
- Telugu: ఆడు (aaDu)
produce music using a musical instrument
(transitive sense),
affecting a noun
produce music using a musical instrument
(intransitive
sense, not affecting a noun)
deal with a situation in a diplomatic manner
- Finnish: hoitaa
- Icelandic: spila
- Polish: grać
act in a performance
participate in (a game)
use a device to hear (a recording)
- ttbc Arabic: (5) (6),
- ttbc Arabic:
- Guaraní: ñembosarái
- ttbc Ido: ludar (1), plear (2, 4)
- ttbc Interlingua: jocar
- ttbc Irish: súgradh (verbal noun)
- Tupinambá: nhemosaraîa
Derived terms
- airplay
- downplay
- fair play
- playact
- play along
- play around
- play ball
- playbill
- playboy
- play by ear
- play by play, play-by-play
- play date, playdate
- play dead
- play doctor
- playdough
- play down
- player
- playful
- play games
- playground
- play house
- play lunch
- playmate
- play money
- playoff
- playout
- playpen
- playroom
- playschool
- play the field
- plaything
- playtime
- play to the gallery
- play up
- playwright
- power play
- radio play
- roleplay
- screen play
- two can play that game
- war play
- word play
Extensive Definition
Play may refer to:
- Play (activity), enjoyment by humans
- Play (animal behaviour)
- Play (theatre), structured literary form or theatre
In music
- Play 99.6 (radio), Jordan's No.1 Hit Music Radio Station
- Play (Mexican band) (or Grupo Play), Mexican band
- Play
(Swedish band), Swedish band
- Play (Play album), album by the Swedish band
- "Play" (Jennifer Lopez song)
- Play (EP), extended play recording by Ride
- Play (Namie Amuro album)
- Play (Great Big Sea album)
- Play (Moby album)
- Play (S.H.E album)
- Play (Squeeze album)
- Christopher "Play" Martin, one-half of the hip hop duo Kid 'n Play
- Play! A Video Game Symphony, a symphony tour featuring video game music
In other arts and entertainment
- Play (play), written by Samuel Beckett
- Play (2000 film), directed by Anthony Minghella
- >play (TV series), a Canadian newsmagazine series
- Play (UK magazine), a UK PlayStation magazine
- Play (U.S. magazine), a U.S. games magazine
- Play (New York Times), a sports magazine from The New York Times
- Wii Play, a video game released for the Wii video game console
- Television play, television genre
In sports
- Play from scrimmage, an organized action as part of the game, in American and Canadian football
- The Play, a controversial and historic last second kickoff return for a touchdown in the 1982 Cal–Stanford 'Big Game'
In other uses
- Play (engineering), the amount of lost motion due to clearance or slackness between mating components when movement is reversed
- Play.com, an online retail company
- Play, a manufacture of juggling equipment in Italy
- Petroleum play, the exploitation of oil reserves in a particular region, or the geological setting of those reserves
- Word play, literary and narrative technique
See also
play in French: Play
play in Italian: Play
play in Dutch: Play
play in Polish: Play
play in Simple English: Play
(disambiguation)
play in Thai: ละครเวที
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
ALGOL,
COBOL, FORTRAN, Grand Guignol, Passion
play, Tom show, abuse,
accentuate, accompany, act, act a part, act as, act as
foil, act out, act up, acting, action, actions, activism, activity, ad lib, affect, agree, air space, alphabetic data,
alphanumeric code, ample scope, amuse, amusement, angular data,
ante, ante up, antic, antimasque, ape, appear, apple-polish, appliance, application, article, artifice, assembler, assume, attention, audience success,
autograph, back, ball, ballet, barnstorm, be effective, be in
action, be occupied with, be responsible for, be unfaithful,
beguile, behave, behavior, belittle, belly laugh, bet, bet on, betting, bicker, big time, binary digit,
binary scale, binary system, bit, blank check, blue story,
bluff, bomb, book, bout, brainchild, broadcast drama,
brown-nose, bug, build up,
burlesque show, butter up, byte, calculated risk, call, call attention to, caper, caracole, cardsharping, carouse, carry on, carry out,
carry through, carte blanche, cast lots, casting lots, cause
trouble, cavort, challenge, chance, charade, chord, chunk, clearance, cliff hanger,
closet drama, come out, comedy drama, command pulses, commands, compete with,
compiler, composition, computer code,
computer language, computer printout, computer program, concertize, conduct, consider, contend with,
contest, control
signals, controlled quantity, cooperate, copy, coquet, correcting signals,
counterfeit,
court, cover, cover up, coverage, critical success,
curvet, cut a dido, cut
capers, cut lots, cut the cards, cut up, dabble, dally, dance, dancing, data, daytime serial, de-emphasize,
deal with, decathlon,
decry, delay, delectation, delight, demeanor, depict, deportment, deprecate, device, dialogue, dido, diminish, direct, dirty joke, dirty story,
discourse, disparage, disport, dissemble, dissimulate, diversion, divert, do, do a bit, do with, document, documentary drama,
doing, double entendre,
double-header, doubles,
draft, drama, dramalogue, dramatic play,
dramatic series, dramatize, draw lots, draw
straws, drive, duodrama, duologue, edited version,
elbowroom, emote, emotionalize, emphasize, employ, employment, enact, engage, engage in, engrossment, enjoyment, entertain, entertainment, epic
theater, error, error
signals, essay, ethnic
joke, event, execute, exercise, exert, experimental theater,
exploit, extemporize, extravaganza, fade, failure, fair copy, fake, feedback pulses, feedback
signals, feign, feint, fiction, fiddle, fiddle with,
fiddle-faddle, fidget,
fidget with, field, film
data, final draft, finesse, finger with, finished
version, first draft, flatter, flexibility, flicker, flickering, flickering light,
flier, flimsy, flirt, flop, flounce, flutter, fluttering, fool, fool around, fool with,
fortune, four-flush,
foursome, free course,
free hand, free play, free scope, freedom, fribble, frisk, frivol, frivolity, frolic, full scope, full swing,
fun, fun and games, function, functioning, funmaking, funny story,
gag, gambit, gamble, gambling, gambol, game, games of chance, gaming, gammon, gasser, get top billing, gimmick, give, giveaway, glancing light,
go, go along with, good one,
good story, good time, great fun, gush, handbook, handle, happening, have effect, have
free play, have fun, have play, hazard, hazarding, headroom, hesitate, hexadecimal system,
high old time, high time, highlight, histrionize, hit, hit show, holograph, horse around,
horseplay, howler, idle, impersonate, impose on,
improvisational drama, improvise, information, input data,
input quantity, instructions, interpret, jape, jerk off, jest, jestbook, jet, jockey, join in, joke, kid around, lambency, latitude, laugh, laughs, lay, lay a wager, lay down, leeway, legitimate drama, let on,
let on like, letter,
light show, literae scriptae, literary artefact, literary
production, literature, loiter, long rope, looseness, lot, lovely time, luck, lucubration, machine
language, make, make a bet,
make a pretense, make as if, make believe, make go, make light of,
make like, make music, make out like, make use of, malfunction, manage, maneuver, maneuvering space,
manipulate, manuscript, margin, masque, masquerade as, match, match coins, matter, meet, meet a bet, melodrama, merrymaking, mess around,
mess with, message,
militate, mime, mimic, minimize, minstrel show,
miracle, miracle play,
misbehave, misuse, monkey, monkey around, monkey
business, monodrama,
monologue, morality, morality play,
motion, move, movement, movements, multiple messages,
music drama, musical revue, mystery, mystery play, no holds
barred, noise, nonfiction, numeric data,
occupation, octal
system, open space, opera,
operate, operation, operations, opus, original, oscillograph data,
output data, output quantity, overact, pageant, panel show, panic, pantomime, paper, parchment, parlay, participate, participate in,
pass, pass for, pastoral, pastoral drama,
patter, pentathlon, percolate, perform, perform on, perk, personate, philander, picnic, piddle, piece, piece of writing, pilot, place, play a part, play a scene,
play against, play around, play at dice, play ball, play by ear,
play down, play for time, play of light, play on, play possum, play
the game, play the lead, play the ponies, play up, play up to, play
with, play-off, playact,
playing, playlet, pleasant time, pleasure, ploy, plunge, ply, poem, point, polar data, portray, pose as, potter, practice, praxis, pretend, pretend to be, printed
matter, printout,
problem play, proceed,
procrastinate,
production, profess, psychodrama, punch-card
data, punt, put, put on, put on airs, putter, quiver, quivering, quiz show, race, radio drama, raffle off,
random data, range,
reading matter, recension, recreate, recreation, rectangular data,
reference quantity, register, render, revelry, review, revue, rib tickler, riot, risk, risking, rival, rollick, romp, room, room to spare, rope, ruly English, run, run around, runoff, scope, scream, screed, scrip, script, scrive, scroll, sea room, second draft,
see, see to, sensational
play, serial, serve, set, sham, shoot craps, shot, show, sick joke, sidesplitter, sight gag,
signals, simulate, single messages,
singles, sitcom, situation comedy,
sketch, skip, skit, skylarking, sleep around,
smatter, soap, soap opera, sociodrama, soft-soap,
sortition, space, spare room, spectacle, speculate, speculation, spew, spit, sport, sporting, sportiveness, spotlight, spout, spray, spritz, spurt, spurtle, squirt, stage play, stage show,
stake, staking, stall for time, stand
pat, star, steal the show,
steer, stooge, story, straight drama, stratagem, stress, success, suck up to, surge, suspense drama, swing, symphonize, tableau, tableau vivant,
take, take advantage of,
take care of, take effect, take off, take on, take part in, take
up, talk show, tease,
teleplay, television
drama, television play, temporize, the written word,
theater of cruelty, think about, think nothing of, threesome, tick, tinker, toady to, tolerance, tomfoolery, toss, total theater, toy, toy with, trade on, transcript, transcription, tread the
boards, treatment,
trifle, trifle with,
trip, troupe, truckle to, tug the
heartstrings, twiddle,
twosome, typescript, uncertainty, underline, underscore, undertake, unorganized data,
upstage, use, utilize, variety show, vaudeville, vaudeville show,
vehicle, venture, version, vie with,
visible-speech data, visual joke, vomit, vomit forth, vomit out,
wager, wagering, waver, way, wear, well, wheeze, wide berth, wield, wile, wing it, womanize, word-of-mouth
success, work, work
together, working,
workings, wow, writing, yarn