# play

Pronunciation: say "PLAY" /pleɪ/

## Verb

1. To engage in activity purely for fun, recreation or entertainment.
   - Simple: To do things for fun, as children do.
   - _Kittens play with anything that moves._
   - _The cousins were playing in the barn._
2. To take part in a sport or game, or to compete against a particular opponent in one.
   - Simple: To take part in a sport or game, or to compete against someone in it.
   - _Do you play tennis?_
   - _They played cards until midnight._
3. To act in or have a particular role or function.
   - Simple: To have a particular role or job.
   - _Luck will play a part in the result._
   - _The river played a central role in the town's history._
4. To make music on a musical instrument, or to perform a piece, tune or style of music on one.
   - Simple: To make music with an instrument, or to perform a song or tune on it.
   - _The band agreed to play a few jazz standards before the headliner took the stage._
   - _She plays the cello in a youth orchestra and practices every evening after school._
5. To act the part of a given character in a movie or stage production.
   - Simple: To act as a character in a film or on the stage.
   - _She plays the queen in the school production._
   - _Who will play the king this year?_
7. Of a person, to operate a device or medium so that sound or moving pictures are produced.
   - Simple: To use a machine so that it produces sound or pictures.
   - _My neighbors play their radio so loudly that I can hear every word through the wall._
   - _She played the radio all afternoon while she painted the kitchen._
8. Of a theatrical performance, film, music or recording, to be performed, shown or heard, or of a disc or device, to produce sound or pictures.
   - Simple: Used about a film, music, a disc or a machine, to be shown or heard, or to work and give out sound.
   - _Does the song play at the end of the film?_
   - _What's playing at the Odeon this week?_
12. Of a theatrical company or band, to perform or give performances at a venue.
   - Simple: Used about a band or theater group, to give shows at a certain place.
   - _Armstrong's band played our town once._
   - _Few acts play stadiums in their first year._
13. To toy or trifle with something, acting with levity or thoughtlessness.
   - Simple: To treat something carelessly, as if it were a game, usually with 'with'.
   - _Don't play with fire._
   - _She played with the ring on her finger._
14. To manipulate, deceive, or swindle someone. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To trick someone or use them to get what you want.
   - _He played the investors and vanished._
   - _You can't play a player, she said._
17. To pretend to be in a certain state or to have a certain quality, as in playing dead or playing dumb.
   - Simple: To act as if you are something you are not.
   - _She likes to play helpless._
   - _He played dead until the bear left._
16. To act, behave or deal with a situation in a stated way.
   - Simple: To act or handle something in a certain way, as in 'play it safe' or 'play fair'.
   - _They play rough in that league._
   - _He plays straight with everyone._
18. To gamble, staking money on the outcome of a game.
   - Simple: To bet money on the result of a game.
   - _If you're going to play in Las Vegas, decide ahead of time how much you can afford to lose._
   - _She never plays for high stakes, preferring a friendly game where nobody loses more than twenty dollars._
21. To be received or taken in a particular way by an audience or others.
   - Simple: To get a certain reaction from people.
   - _Jokes like that don't play in a courtroom._
   - _The announcement played badly with the staff._
24. Of a musical instrument, to produce music, especially in a stated way or condition.
   - Simple: Used about a musical instrument, to give out music.
   - _The organ plays beautifully in a cold church._
   - _Some violins play sweetly and some do not._
27. To handle or deal with something in a calculating way, aiming to make a profit or gain an advantage.
   - Simple: To use something in a careful, planned way to make money or get something you want.
   - _Experienced traders play the currency markets by watching for small swings in rates._
   - _The landlord played the housing shortage for all it was worth, raising the rent with every new lease._
28. To bring something into action or carry it out, such as a card, a shot in a game, a trick, or one's part.
   - Simple: To use or do something as your move or action, such as a card in a game, a shot, or a trick.
   - _She saved her highest trump until the last round and played it to win the hand._
   - _Everyone on the project has to play their part if we want to finish on time._
29. To kid or joke, saying something for amusement, or to act or treat something in a way that is not serious. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To joke or tease, or to not be serious about something.
   - _"Calm down, man, I was only playing."_
   - _"My grandmother does not play when it comes to Sunday dinner."_
30. To take a particular role or position in a sport or on a team.
   - Simple: To be in a certain position or job on a sports team.
   - _After the injury, the coach asked her to play shortstop for the rest of the year._
   - _He has played up front for most of his career but now drops back into midfield._
31. To sweep over or fall on something, or to aim or work something, such as a beam or a jet of water, so that it does.
   - Simple: To move across or fall on something, or to aim something, like a light or a hose, across it.
   - _The guards play a searchlight over the yard every few minutes._
   - _Flashlight beams played over the walls of the cave as the hikers searched for the exit._

## Noun

6. A drama written to be performed by actors on a stage, or a performance of such a drama.
   - Simple: A story written for actors to perform on a stage, or a show of it.
   - _The play reads better than it acts._
   - _His early plays were comedies._
9. Activity pursued purely for enjoyment, especially by children and young people.
   - Simple: Activity done for fun, especially by children.
   - _All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy._
   - _Play is how kittens learn to hunt._
10. The playing of a game, or the way a player or team performs in it.
   - Simple: The playing of a game, or how well someone plays it.
   - _Bad light stopped play._
   - _Rough play was penalized in the second half._
11. A brief series of moves or actions forming one unit within a game.
   - Simple: One move or piece of action in a game.
   - _On the very next play, the quarterback threw a long pass that gained forty yards._
   - _The team spent all week practicing new plays for Saturday's championship game._
15. The sphere in which a ball or game piece remains usable, also figuratively; used after in, into or out of.
   - Simple: In games, the state of a ball or piece that can still be used.
   - _The ball went out of play over the line._
   - _That option is no longer in play._
19. A button that starts recorded media when pressed.
   - Simple: The button that makes recorded sound or video start playing.
   - _Play is the triangle, pause the two bars._
   - _She pressed play and the room went quiet._
20. A move or maneuver, as part of a plan or strategy, by which a business, an investor, or a political party tries to get ahead.
   - Simple: A move made by a company or politician to get something.
   - _The takeover was a play for the firm's patents._
   - _Investors look for plays on rising rates._
22. Freedom or room to move, especially the amount a part of a mechanism can move loosely.
   - Simple: Room to move freely, such as the looseness in a part of a machine.
   - _Allow a little play in the schedule._
   - _Her ideas were given full play in the new job._
23. Sexual activity, or the sexual acting out of roles or fantasies. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Sex, especially when people act out a game or pretend roles.
   - _Rules and consent come before any play of that kind._
   - _The workshop stressed that any kind of play between partners should begin with an honest talk about consent and limits._
25. A single time a piece of media, such as a video or a song, is watched, listened to or broadcast.
   - Simple: One time a video, song or other recording is watched, heard or played on the radio.
   - _The podcast's first episode passed a million plays within a week._
   - _The streaming service counts a play only after thirty seconds of listening._
26. An instance of wordplay: a clever or humorous twist on a word, phrase, or name.
   - Simple: A clever or funny use of a word, phrase, or name.
   - _The headline was a sly play on an old proverb about early birds._
   - _The comedian's set was full of plays on the names of local towns._
32. The movement of a pattern of light, shadow, or something similar as it shifts and changes.
   - Simple: The way light or shadows move and change on something.
   - _The painter was fascinated by the play of light and shadow on the cathedral's stone front._
   - _A restless play of firelight on the ceiling kept her awake long after the others were asleep._

## Other meanings

- (verb) Of one side's score, to stand against the score of the other side in a result.
- (verb) To fight or spar with weapons, whether in practice or in earnest, as in fencing or jousting.
- (verb) To stage or act out a drama before an audience.
- (verb) To move lightly or briskly, as leaves do in a breeze or sunlight does on water.
- (verb) To move back and forth in turn, as a piston or other alternating part does.
- (verb) To let a hooked fish tire itself out on the line before reeling it in.
- (verb) To engage in sexual or romantic activity with someone.
- (noun) Lively, playful behavior in young animals that helps them get to know the world around them and develop abilities.
- (noun) A move made by a player whose turn it is, as in a card or board game.
- (noun) In oil and gas exploration, a rock formation or area thought to hold a body of oil, gas or other resources.
- (noun) Fighting or combat with weapons, or the skill shown in it, as in swordplay.

## Origin

The verb comes from Middle English pleyen and Old English pleġan and plegian ('to play, exercise'), from Proto-West Germanic roots of uncertain origin meaning roughly 'to care about' and 'to engage or move.' It is related to German pflegen ('to care for') and Old English plēon ('to risk'). The noun derives from Old English plæġ, plega ('play, quick motion, sport, game, drama').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/play (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).