| subst. |
| 1. |
play - a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage; "he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway" |
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drama |
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dramatic composition,
dramatic work a play for performance on the stage or television or in a movie etc.
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drama the quality of being arresting or highly emotional
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stage direction an instruction written as part of the script of a play
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grand guignol a play of a macabre or horrific nature
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theater of the absurd plays stressing the irrational or illogical aspects of life, usually to show that modern life is pointless; "Samuel Beckett and Eugene Ionesco have written plays for the theater of the absurd"
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playlet a short play
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act something that people do or cause to happen
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miracle play a medieval play representing episodes from the life of a saint or martyr
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morality play an allegorical play popular in the 15th and 16th centuries; characters personified virtues and vices
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mystery play a medieval play representing episodes from the life of Christ
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passion play a play representing the Passion of Christ
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satyr play an ancient Greek burlesque with a chorus of satyrs
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| 2. |
play - 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" |
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frolic,
romp,
gambol,
caper |
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recreation,
diversion a turning aside (of your course or attention or concern); "a diversion from the main highway"; "a digression into irrelevant details"; "a deflection from his goal"
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coquetry,
flirtation,
flirting,
toying,
dalliance,
flirt the deliberate act of delaying and playing instead of working
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foolery,
tomfoolery,
lunacy,
craziness,
folly,
indulgence obsolete terms for legal insanity
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game an amusement or pastime; "they played word games"; "he thought of his painting as a game that filled his empty time"; "his life was all fun and games"
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horseplay rowdy or boisterous play
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teasing playful vexation; "the parody was just a form of teasing"
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word play playing on words or speech sounds
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| 3. |
play - a preset plan of action in team sports; "the coach drew up the plays for her team" |
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plan of action a plan for actively doing something
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knock on (rugby) knocking the ball forward while trying to catch it (a foul)
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power play (ice hockey) a play in which one team has a numerical advantage over the other as a result of penalties; "the team was unable to capitalize on the power play"
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football play (American football) a play by the offensive team
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razmataz,
razzle,
razzle-dazzle,
razzmatazz any exciting and complex play intended to confuse (dazzle) the opponent
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basketball play a play executed by a basketball team
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| 4. |
play - a theatrical performance of a drama; "the play lasted two hours" |
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show the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining; "a remarkable show of skill"
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musical,
musical comedy,
musical theater a play or film whose action and dialogue is interspersed with singing and dancing
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curtain raiser any preliminary activity
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| 5. |
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" |
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recreation,
diversion a turning aside (of your course or attention or concern); "a diversion from the main highway"; "a digression into irrelevant details"; "a deflection from his goal"
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house play in which children take the roles of father or mother or children and pretend to interact like adults; "the children were playing house"
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doctor children take the roles of physician or patient or nurse and pretend they are at the physician's office; "the children explored each other's bodies by playing the game of doctor"
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fireman play in which children pretend to put out a fire
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| 6. |
play - the act using a sword (or other weapon) vigorously and skillfully |
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swordplay |
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action something done (usually as opposed to something said); "there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions"
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fencing the art or sport of fighting with swords (especially the use of foils or epees or sabres to score points under a set of rules)
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| 7. |
play - utilization or exercise; "the play of the imagination" |
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utilisation,
utilization,
usage,
employment,
exercise,
use the state of having been made use of; "the rate of utilization"
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| 8. |
play - a state in which action is feasible; "the ball was still in play"; "insiders said the company's stock was in play" |
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activeness,
activity,
action the trait of being active; moving or acting rapidly and energetically; "the level of activity declines with age"
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| verb |
| 1. |
play - participate in games or sport; "We played hockey all afternoon"; "play cards"; "Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches" |
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compete,
vie,
contend compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others
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play out become spent or exhausted; "The champion's strength played out fast"
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line up take one's position before a kick-off
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curl form a curl, curve, or kink; "the cigar smoke curled up at the ceiling"
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snooker leave one's opponent unable to take a direct shot
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revoke cancel officially; "He revoked the ban on smoking"; "lift an embargo"; "vacate a death sentence"
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develop expand in the form of a series; "Develop the function in the following form"
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develop expand in the form of a series; "Develop the function in the following form"
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die suffer spiritual death; be damned (in the religious sense); "Whosoever..believes in me shall never die"
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misplay play wrong or in an unskillful manner
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start play in the starting lineup
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fumble drop or juggle or fail to play cleanly a grounder; "fumble a grounder"
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volley utter rapidly; "volley a string of curses"
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unblock make (assets) available; "release the holdings in the dictator's bank account"
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replay play again; "We replayed the game"; "replay a point"
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cricket play cricket
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backstop act as a backstop
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fullback play the fullback
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quarterback play the quarterback
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cradle run with the stick
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exit lose the lead
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encounter,
take on,
meet,
play contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle; "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"; "Charlie likes to play Mary"
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play out become spent or exhausted; "The champion's strength played out fast"
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field select (a team or individual player) for a game; "The Buckeyes fielded a young new quarterback for the Rose Bowl"
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catch contract; "did you catch a cold?"
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bully off,
face off start a game by a face-off
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tee off strike a ball from the teeing ground at the start of a hole
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ace serve an ace against (someone)
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complete,
nail bring to a whole, with all the necessary parts or elements; "A child would complete the family"
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gamble play games for money
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walk obtain a base on balls
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bowl engage in the sport of bowling; "My parents like to bowl on Friday nights"
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golf play golf
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bandy discuss lightly; "We bandied around these difficult questions"
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foul become soiled and dirty
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put out retire; "he was put out at third base on a long throw from left field"
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croquet play a game in which players hit a wooden ball through a series of hoops
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putt strike (a golf ball) lightly, with a putter; "he putted the ball several feet past the hole"
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teeter-totter,
teetertotter,
seesaw ride on a plank
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bid,
call ask for or request earnestly; "The prophet bid all people to become good persons"
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| 2. |
play - replay (as a melody); "Play it again, Sam"; "She played the third movement very beautifully" |
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spiel |
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re-create form anew in the imagination; recollect and re-form in the mind; "His mind re-creates the entire world"
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riff play riffs
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misplay play wrong or in an unskillful manner
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fiddle play on a violin; "Zuckerman fiddled that song very nicely"
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play engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously; "They played games on their opponents"; "play the stock market"; "play with her feelings"; "toy with an idea"
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replay play again; "We replayed the game"; "replay a point"
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prelude play as a prelude
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jazz play something in the style of jazz
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rag break into lumps before sorting; "rag ore"
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bugle play on a bugle
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reprise,
reprize,
recapitulate,
repeat repeat an earlier theme of a composition
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slur utter indistinctly
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bang out play loudly; "They banged out `The star-spangled banner'"
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modulate vary the frequency, amplitude, phase, or other characteristic of (electromagnetic waves)
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tongue lick or explore with the tongue
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| 3. |
play - perform music on (a musical instrument); "He plays the flute"; "Can you play on this old recorder?" |
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sound appear in a certain way; "This sounds interesting"
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music musical activity (singing or whistling etc.); "his music was his central interest"
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music musical activity (singing or whistling etc.); "his music was his central interest"
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register enter into someone's consciousness; "Did this event register in your parents' minds?"
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skirl play the bagpipes
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beat come out better in a competition, race, or conflict; "Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship"; "We beat the competition"; "Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game"
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tweedle entice through the use of music
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chord play chords on (a string instrument)
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pipe trim with piping; "pipe the skirt"
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drum play a percussion instrument
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harp come back to; "Don't dwell on the past"; "She is always harping on the same old things"
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fiddle play on a violin; "Zuckerman fiddled that song very nicely"
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trumpet utter in trumpet-like sounds; "Elephants are trumpeting"
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clarion proclaim on, or as if on, a clarion
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| 4. |
play - play on an instrument; "The band played all night long" |
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play engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously; "They played games on their opponents"; "play the stock market"; "play with her feelings"; "toy with an idea"
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spiel,
play speak at great length (about something)
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perform carry out or perform an action; "John did the painting, the weeding, and he cleaned out the gutters"; "the skater executed a triple pirouette"; "she did a little dance"
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music musical activity (singing or whistling etc.); "his music was his central interest"
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strike up,
sound off begin; "strike up a conversation"; "strike up a friendship"
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swing alternate dramatically between high and low values; "his mood swings"; "the market is swinging up and down"
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symphonise,
symphonize play or sound together, in harmony
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play along,
accompany,
follow perform an accompaniment to; "The orchestra could barely follow the frequent pitch changes of the soprano"
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bow bend one's knee or body, or lower one's head; "He bowed before the King"; "She bowed her head in shame"
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busk play music in a public place and solicit money for it; "three young men were busking in the plaza"
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| 5. |
play - 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" |
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recreate,
play create anew; "she recreated the feeling of the 1920's with her stage setting"
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act behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; "You should act like an adult"; "Don't behave like a fool"; "What makes her do this way?"; "The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people"
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roughhouse engage in rough or disorderly play
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horse around,
arse around,
fool around,
fool indulge in horseplay; "Enough horsing around--let's get back to work!"; "The bored children were fooling about"
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cavort,
skylark,
run around,
rollick,
lark about,
lark,
gambol,
frolic,
frisk,
disport,
sport,
romp play boisterously; "The children frolicked in the garden"; "the gamboling lambs in the meadows"; "The toddlers romped in the playroom"
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splash around,
dabble,
paddle bob forward and under so as to feed off the bottom of a body of water; "dabbling ducks"
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| 6. |
play - 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" |
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play engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously; "They played games on their opponents"; "play the stock market"; "play with her feelings"; "toy with an idea"
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play engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously; "They played games on their opponents"; "play the stock market"; "play with her feelings"; "toy with an idea"
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deploy place troops or weapons in battle formation
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pitch set to a certain pitch; "He pitched his voice very low"
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cover clothe, as if for protection from the elements; "cover your head!"
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declare state firmly; "He declared that he was innocent"
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| 7. |
play - use or move; "I had to play my queen" |
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encounter,
take on,
meet,
play contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle; "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"; "Charlie likes to play Mary"
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utilise,
employ,
utilize,
use,
apply convert (from an investment trust to a unit trust)
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promote change a pawn for a better piece by advancing it to the eighth row, or change a checker piece for a more valuable piece by moving it to the row closest to your opponent
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play engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously; "They played games on their opponents"; "play the stock market"; "play with her feelings"; "toy with an idea"
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| 8. |
play - perform on a certain location; "The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16"; "She has been playing on Broadway for years" |
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perform carry out or perform an action; "John did the painting, the weeding, and he cleaned out the gutters"; "the skater executed a triple pirouette"; "she did a little dance"
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performing arts arts or skills that require public performance
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| 9. |
play - be performed or presented for public viewing; "What's playing in the local movie theater?"; "`Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years" |
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performing arts arts or skills that require public performance
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debut appear for the first time in public; "The new ballet that debuts next months at Covent Garden, is already sold out"
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playact,
roleplay,
act,
play behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; "You should act like an adult"; "Don't behave like a fool"; "What makes her do this way?"; "The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people"
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| 10. |
play - employ in a game or in a specific position; "They played him on first base" |
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encounter,
take on,
meet,
play contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle; "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"; "Charlie likes to play Mary"
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utilise,
employ,
utilize,
use,
apply convert (from an investment trust to a unit trust)
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| 11. |
play - shoot or hit in a particular manner; "She played a good backhand last night" |
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hit pay unsolicited and usually unwanted sexual attention to; "He tries to hit on women in bars"
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hook approach with an offer of sexual favors; "he was solicited by a prostitute"; "The young man was caught soliciting in the park"
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| 12. |
play - bet or wager (money); "He played $20 on the new horse"; "She plays the races" |
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play engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously; "They played games on their opponents"; "play the stock market"; "play with her feelings"; "toy with an idea"
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gamble play games for money
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underplay play a card lower than (a held high card)
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| 13. |
play - make bets; "Play the races"; "play the casinos in Trouville" |
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wager,
bet,
play maintain with or as if with a bet; "I bet she will be there!"
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wager,
bet,
play maintain with or as if with a bet; "I bet she will be there!"
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| 14. |
play - 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" |
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act,
move behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; "You should act like an adult"; "Don't behave like a fool"; "What makes her do this way?"; "The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people"
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| 15. |
play - engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion; "On weekends I play"; "The students all recreate alike" |
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recreate |
| 16. |
play - engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously; "They played games on their opponents"; "play the stock market"; "play with her feelings"; "toy with an idea" |
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toy |
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behave,
act,
do behave in a certain manner; "She carried herself well"; "he bore himself with dignity"; "They conducted themselves well during these difficult times"
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| 17. |
play - 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" |
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run |
| 18. |
play - use to one's advantage; "She plays on her clients' emotions" |
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exploit,
work use or manipulate to one's advantage; "He exploit the new taxation system"; "She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy"
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| 19. |
play - emit recorded sound; "The tape was playing for hours"; "the stereo was playing Beethoven when I entered" |
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sound appear in a certain way; "This sounds interesting"
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| 20. |
play - pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity; "Let's play like I am mommy"; "Play cowboy and Indians" |
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feign,
sham,
simulate,
assume make believe with the intent to deceive; "He feigned that he was ill"; "He shammed a headache"
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act,
represent,
play behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; "You should act like an adult"; "Don't behave like a fool"; "What makes her do this way?"; "The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people"
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| 21. |
play - move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly; "The spotlights played on the politicians" |
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locomote,
travel,
move,
go change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast"
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| 22. |
play - cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space; "The engine has a wheel that is playing in a rack" |
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displace,
move cause to move, usually with force or pressure; "the refugees were displaced by the war"
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| 23. |
play - behave in a certain way; "play safe"; "play it safe"; "play fair" |
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act,
move behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; "You should act like an adult"; "Don't behave like a fool"; "What makes her do this way?"; "The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people"
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play engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously; "They played games on their opponents"; "play the stock market"; "play with her feelings"; "toy with an idea"
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| 24. |
play - exhaust by allowing to pull on the line; "play a hooked fish" |
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tucker,
tucker out,
exhaust,
wash up,
beat wear out completely; "This kind of work exhausts me"; "I'm beat"; "He was all washed up after the exam"
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| 25. |
play - discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream; "play water from a hose"; "The fountains played all day" |
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discharge release from military service
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| 26. |
play - 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" |
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