play
play
(pleɪ )Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense plays , present participle playing , past tense, past participle played
1. verb
When children, animals, or perhaps adults play, they spend time doing enjoyable things, such as using toys and taking part in games.
...invite the children round to play. [VERB]
They played in the little garden. [VERB]
Polly was playing with her teddy bear. [VERB + with]
Play is also a noun.
...a few hours of play until the baby-sitter takes them off to bed.
2. verb
When you play a sport, game, or match, you take part in it.
While the twins played cards, Francis sat reading. [VERB noun]
Alain was playing cards with his friends. [VERB noun + with]
I used to play basketball. [VERB noun]
I want to play for my country. [VERB + for]
He captained the team but he didn't actually play. [VERB]
take part in, be involved in, engage in, participate in, compete in, be in a team forPlay is also a noun.
Both sides adopted the Continental style of play.
3. verb
When one person or team plays another or plays against them, they compete against them in a sport or game.
Northern Ireland will play Latvia. [VERB noun]
I've played against him a few times. [VERB + against]
compete against, challenge, take on, rival, oppose, vie with, contend againstPlay is also a noun.
Fischer won after 5 hours and 41 minutes of play.
4. verb
5. verb
If you play a joke or a trick on someone, you deceive them or give them a surprise in a way that you think is funny, but that often causes problems for them or annoys them.
Someone had played a trick on her, stretched a piece of string at the top of those steps. [VERB noun + on]
I thought: 'This cannot be happening, somebody must be playing a joke'. [VERB noun]
perform, carry out, execute6. verb
7. countable noun
A play is a piece of writing which is performed in a theatre, on the radio, or on television.
The company put on a play about the homeless. [+ about]
It's my favourite Shakespeare play.
drama, show, performance, piece, comedy, entertainment, tragedy, farce, soap opera, soapie or soapy [Australian, slang], pantomime, stage show, television drama, radio play, masque, dramatic piece8. verb
If an actor plays a role or character in a play or film, he or she performs the part of that character.
...Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, in which he played Hyde. [VERB noun]
His ambition is to play the part of Dracula. [VERB noun]
act, portray, represent, perform, impersonate, act the part of, take the part of, personate9. link verb
You can use play to describe how someone behaves, when they are deliberately behaving in a certain way or like a certain type of person. For example, to play the innocent, means to pretend to be innocent, and to play deaf means to pretend not to hear something.
Hill tried to play the peacemaker. [VERB noun]
She was just playing the devoted mother. [VERB noun]
So you want to play nervous today? [VERB adjective]
10. verb
You can describe how someone deals with a situation by saying that they play it in a certain way. For example, if someone plays it cool, they keep calm and do not show much emotion, and if someone plays it straight, they behave in an honest and direct way.
Investors are playing it cautious, and they're playing it smart. [V n adj/adv]
11. verb
If you play a musical instrument or play a tune on a musical instrument, or if a musical instrument plays, music is produced from it.
Nina had been playing the piano. [VERB noun]
Two people played jazz on a piano. [VERB noun]
He played for me. [VERB + for]
Place your baby in her seat and play her a lullaby. [VERB noun noun]
The guitars played. [VERB]
[Also V n for n]12. verb
If you play a record, a CD, or a tape, you put it into a machine and sound is produced. If a record, CD, or tape is playing, sound is being produced from it.
She played her records too loudly. [VERB noun]
Every evening in those days the BBC played 'God Save The King'. [VERB noun]
The records were played on the radio. [VERB noun]
There is classical music playing in the background. [VERB]
[Also VERB noun noun]13. verb
14. verb
18. to play ball
21. to play fair
26. to play the fool
30. to play havoc
31. to play host
32. to play safe
33. to play for time
34. to play truant
