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say it: play
play is a verb and noun meaning "participate in games or sport". It is pronounced /ˈpleɪ/ — play. It carries 52 recorded senses.
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”
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”
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”
“The students all recreate alike”
pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity
“Let's play like I am mommy”
“Play cowboy and Indians”
emit recorded sound
“The tape was playing for hours”
“the stereo was playing Beethoven when I entered”
perform on a certain location
“The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16”
“She has been playing on Broadway for years”
performing arts
cause to emit recorded audio or video
“They ran the tapes over and over again”
“I'll play you my favorite record”
“He never tires of playing that video”
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”
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”
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?”
“`Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years”
performing arts
discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream
“play water from a hose”
“The fountains played all day”
a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
“he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway”
drama
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”
“the runner was out on a play by the shortstop”
a state in which action is feasible
“the ball was still in play”
“insiders said the company's stock was in play”
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”
“there was heavy play at the blackjack table”
Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.
Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for play come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.
game
game