Definitions
How to pronounce play:
Play - as a noun
A dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
Example: "He wrote several plays but only one was produced on broadway"
A theatrical performance of a drama
Example: "The play lasted two hours"
A preset plan of action in team sports
Example: "The coach drew up the plays for her team"
A deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill
Example: "He made a great maneuver"
A state in which action is feasible
Example: "The ball was still in play"
Utilization or exercise
Example: "The play of the imagination"
An attempt to get something
Example: "They made a futile play for power"
Activity by children that is guided more by imagination than by fixed rules
Example: "Freud believed in the utility of play to a small child"
(in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds
Example: "Rain stopped play in the 4th inning"
The removal of constraints
Example: "He gave free rein to his impulses"
A weak and tremulous light
Example: "The shimmer of colors on iridescent feathers"
Verbal wit or mockery (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously)
Example: "He became a figure of fun"
Movement or space for movement
Example: "There was too much play in the steering wheel"
Gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement
Example: "It was all done in play"
(game) the activity of doing something in an agreed succession
Example: "It is my turn"
The act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize)
Example: "His gambling cost him a fortune"
Play - as a verb
Participate in games or sport
Example: "We played hockey all afternoon"
Act or have an effect in a specified way or with a specific effect or outcome
Example: "This factor played only a minor part in his decision"
Play on an instrument
Example: "The band played all night long"
Play a role or part
Example: "Gielgud played hamlet"
Be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children
Example: "The kids were playing outside all day"
Replay (as a melody)
Example: "Play it again, sam"
Perform music on (a musical instrument)
Example: "He plays the flute"
Pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind
Example: "He acted the idiot"
Move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly
Example: "The spotlights played on the politicians"
Bet or wager (money)
Example: "He played $20 on the new horse"
Engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion
Example: "On weekends i play"
Pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity
Example: "Let's play like i am mommy"
Emit recorded sound
Example: "The tape was playing for hours"
Perform on a certain location
Example: "The prodigy played carnegie hall at the age of 16"
Put (a card or piece) into play during a game, or act strategically as if in a card game
Example: "He is playing his cards close to his chest"
Engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously
Example: "They played games on their opponents"
Behave in a certain way
Example: "Play safe"
Cause to emit recorded audio or video
Example: "They ran the tapes over and over again"
Manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination
Example: "She played nervously with her wedding ring"
Use to one's advantage
Example: "She plays on her clients' emotions"
Consider not very seriously
Example: "He is trifling with her"
Be received or accepted or interpreted in a specific way
Example: "This speech didn't play well with the american public"
Behave carelessly or indifferently
Example: "Play about with a young girl's affection"
Cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space
Example: "The engine has a wheel that is playing in a rack"
Perform on a stage or theater
Example: "She acts in this play"
Be performed or presented for public viewing
Example: "What's playing in the local movie theater?"
Cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
Example: "I cannot work a miracle"
Discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream
Example: "Play water from a hose"
Make bets
Example: "Play the races"
Stake on the outcome of an issue
Example: "I bet $100 on that new horse"
Shoot or hit in a particular manner
Example: "She played a good backhand last night"
Use or move
Example: "I had to play my queen"
Employ in a game or in a specific position
Example: "They played him on first base"
Contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle
Example: "Princeton plays yale this weekend"
Exhaust by allowing to pull on the line
Example: "Play a hooked fish"
Example Sentences
Word Game Points
PLAY has a SCRABBLE points total of 9.
PLAY has a WORDS WITH FRIENDS points total of 10.
PLAY has a WORDFEUD points total of 10.
