Loading page
play has 44 distinct synonyms spread across 26 of its 52 senses. Each sense below keeps its own list, because a synonym belongs to a meaning and not to a word: swapping one sense's substitute into another sense's sentence is how a thesaurus makes writing worse. WordNet records no antonym for it — antonymy is a relation between word forms rather than concepts, so it is deliberately sparse.
Counts are distinct word forms across every sense. A synonym that appears under three senses is counted once here and shown three times below, under each sense it belongs to.
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”
play on an instrument
“The band played all night long”
be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children
“The kids were playing outside all day”
move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly
“The spotlights played on the politicians”
engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion
“On weekends I play”
pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity
“Let's play like I am mommy”
emit recorded sound
“The tape was playing for hours”
perform on a certain location
“The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16”
manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination
“She played nervously with her wedding ring”
use to one's advantage
“She plays on her clients' emotions”
cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space
“The engine has a wheel that is playing in a rack”
be performed or presented for public viewing
“What's playing in the local movie theater?”
discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream
“play water from a hose”
employ in a game or in a specific position
“They played him on first base”
exhaust by allowing to pull on the line
“play a hooked fish”
a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
“he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway”
a theatrical performance of a drama
“the play lasted two hours”
a preset plan of action in team sports
“the coach drew up the plays for her team”
a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill
“he made a great maneuver”
a state in which action is feasible
“the ball was still in play”
utilization or exercise
“the play of the imagination”
activity by children that is guided more by imagination than by fixed rules
“Freud believed in the utility of play to a small child”
(in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds
“rain stopped play in the 4th inning”
movement or space for movement
“there was too much play in the steering wheel”
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”
1 of the 52 recorded senses carries no synonym, antonym or related term, so it is not shown above. Every sense, with its definition and examples, is on the full entry for play.
Synonyms, antonyms and the broader and narrower relations for play come from Princeton University’s WordNet. Full sources and licences.