play

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   To act in a manner such that one has fun

   To act in a manner such that one has fun; to engage in activities expressly for the purpose of recreation or entertainment.

   • The children played in the park.
   • 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, Anne-Nelly Perret-Clermont et al. (eds.), Joining Society: Social Interaction and Learning in Adolescence and Youth, Cambridge Univ. Press, p.52:
2. 2

   To toy or trifle

   To toy or trifle; to act with levity or thoughtlessness; to be careless.

   • Don't play with your food!
   • He's just playing with her affections.
   • Thus Men are apt to play with their Healths and their Lives as they do with their Cloaths: [...]
3. 3

   To perform in (a sport)

   To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game).

   • He plays on three teams.
   • Who's playing now?
   • play football, play sports, play games
4. ›+ 34 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      To contend or fight using weapons, both as practice or in real life-or-death combats

      To contend or fight using weapons, both as practice or in real life-or-death combats; to engage in martial games; to joust; to fence

   2. 5

      To act or behave in a stated way.

      • to play safe, to play fair, to play dirty
      • His mother played false with a smith.
      • Now here you go again, you say you want your freedom / Well, who am I to keep you down? / It's only right that you should play the way you feel it / But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness
   3. 6

      To act as (the indicated role).

      • Stop playing the fool.
      • No part of the brain plays the role of permanent memory.
      • In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.
   4. 7

      To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance.

      • I'll play the piano and you sing.
      • Can you play an instrument?
      • I've practiced the piano off and on, but I still can't play very well.
   5. 8

      To move briskly, sweepingly, back and forth, in a directed manner, etc.

      • The fountain plays.
      • The leaves played in the wind.
      • All fame is foreign but of true desert, / Plays round the head, but comes not to the heart.
   6. 9

      To bring into action or motion

      To bring into action or motion; to exhibit in action; to execute or deploy.

      • That was a great shot he played!
      • He played the blue ball, but the green would have been a better choice.
      • When you're in a team, you have to play your part.
   7. 10

      To handle or deal with (a matter or situation) in a stated way.

      • The bank robbers have three hostages inside, so we're going to have to play this very carefully.
   8. 11

      To handle or deal with (something) in a calculating manner intended to achieve profit or…

      To handle or deal with (something) in a calculating manner intended to achieve profit or gain.

      • He made a fortune on Wall Street, playing the markets.
      • In this business you have to play the percentages.
   9. 12

      To be received or accepted (in a given way)

      To be received or accepted (in a given way); to go down.

      • This policy plays well with younger voters.
      • How will this play in the swing states?
   10. 13

       To gamble.

       • “I play, comparatively, very little; I don't drink a fifth part so much as half the people I live with; and I reckon myself, upon the whole, a very orderly, sober fellow.”
   11. 14

       To keep in play, as a hooked fish in order to land it.

   12. 15

       To manipulate, deceive, or swindle.

       • You played me!
       • If this our song, you're the composer / I'm not a game, but you play me anyway
   13. 16

       To kid

       To kid; to joke; to say something for amusement; to act, or to treat something, unseriously.

       • They don't play with the rules around here.
       • He grew serious. “Sorry, E.M. Just fucking around.” “Well, I don’t play like that and you know it.”
   14. 17

       To take part in amorous activity

       To take part in amorous activity; to make love; see also play around.

       • Her proper face / I not descerned in that darkesome shade, / But weend it was my loue, with whom he playd.
       • Cheree, Cheree / Je t'adore, baby / I love you / Oh, come play with me
   15. 18

       For additional senses in various idiomatic phrases, see the individual entries, such as…

       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.

   16. 19

       Activity for amusement only, especially among the young.

       • Children learn through play.
       • She was fond of all boys' plays, and greatly preferred cricket […] to dolls […]
   17. 20

       Similar activity in young animals, as they explore their environment and learn new skills.

       • This kind of play helps the young lion cubs develop their hunting skills.
   18. 21

       The conduct, or course, of a game.

       • Play was very slow in the first half.
       • After the rain break, play resumed at 3 o'clock.
       • The game was abandoned after 20 minutes' play
   19. 22

       The sphere or circumstance in which a playing implement, such as a ball, is played or…

       The sphere or circumstance in which a playing implement, such as a ball, is played or available to be played (see also in play, out of play).

       • In potting the yellow ball, he's knocked the green into play.
       • When a chess piece is captured, it is removed from play.
       • That option has been removed from play.
   20. 23

       An individual's performance in a sport or game.

       • His play has improved a lot this season.
   21. 24

       A short sequence of action within a game.

       • That was a great play by the Mudchester Rovers forward.
   22. 25

       A literary composition, intended to be represented by actors impersonating the characters…

       A literary composition, intended to be represented by actors impersonating the characters and speaking the dialogue.

       • This book contains all of Shakespeare's plays.
   23. 26

       A theatrical performance featuring actors.

       • We saw a two-act play in the theatre.
       • My kids are acting in the school play this Christmas.
   24. 27

       An attempt to move forward, as in a plan or strategy, for example by a business,…

       An attempt to move forward, as in a plan or strategy, for example by a business, investor, or political party.

       • ABC Widgets makes a play in the bicycle market with its bid to take over Acme Sprockets.
       • Turpin signals the Metric Party's long-term play for housing reform
   25. 28

       A geological formation that contains an accumulation or prospect of hydrocarbons or other…

       A geological formation that contains an accumulation or prospect of hydrocarbons or other resources.

   26. 29

       Movement (of a pattern of light etc.)

       • the play of light and shadow across the boy's face
       • the sum of mental and physical phenomena known by the conventional name “person” or “individual” is not at all the mere play of blind chance.
   27. 30

       Freedom to move.

       • give play to your imagination
   28. 31

       Sexual activity or sexual role-playing.

       • petplay
       • Sexy LF novice seeks seasoned top to spice up my play life. Teach me a lesson I won't forget.
       • The rarity of male domination in fantasy play is readily explained.
   29. 32

       An instance of watching or listening to media.

       • That video of my cat falling off the piano has had ten thousand plays.
       • The most-streamed artist of the year was British singer Ed Sheeran, who amassed 860 million plays with hits like “I See Fire.”
   30. 33

       An instance or instances of causing media to be watched or heard, such as by broadcasting.

       • Their single got a play on the radio.
       • The song got a lot of play in the clubs.
   31. 34

       A button that, when pressed, causes media to be played.

       • press play
   32. 35

       An instance of wordplay.

       • play on words
       • The name Wiktionary is a play on the words wiki and dictionary.
   33. 36

       Activity relating to martial combat or fighting.

       • handplay, swordplay
   34. 37

       Dave & Buster's.

       • Dave and Buster’s (PLAY), the popular restaurant and entertainment chain, is getting into the betting business.

The neighborhood

• neighboroutdoor