| dictionary | A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
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| Sounds | pley' |
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| Rhymes | AAA, allay, ballet, and 37 more rhymes in ley at the HyperDic website... |
| Meaning | A dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage. |
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| Examples | "he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway" |
| Synonyms | drama, dramatic play |
| Category | drama |
| Parts | stage direction; act |
| Narrower | Grand Guignol; theater of the absurd; playlet; miracle play; morality play; mystery play; Passion play; satyr play |
| Broader | dramatic composition, dramatic work |
| Verbs | play; play; play; play |
| Meaning | A theatrical performance of a drama. |
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| Examples | "the play lasted two hours" |
| Narrower | musical, musical comedy, musical theater; curtain raiser |
| Broader | show |
| Verbs | play; play; play; play |
| Meaning | A preset plan of action in team sports. |
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| Examples | "the coach drew up the plays for her team" |
| Narrower | knock on; football play; razzle-dazzle, razzle, razzmatazz, razmataz; basketball play; baseball play |
| Broader | plan of action |
| Verbs | play; play; play |
| Meaning | A deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill. |
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| Examples | "the runner was out on a play by the shortstop" |
| Synonyms | maneuver, manoeuvre |
| Part of | athletic game |
| Narrower | takeaway; figure; completion, pass completion; ball hawking; assist; icing, icing the puck; jugglery; obstruction; footwork; stroke, shot; safety blitz, linebacker blitzing, blitz; mousetrap, trap play |
| Broader | motion, movement, move |
| Verbs | play; play |
| Meaning | A state in which action is feasible. |
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| Examples | "the ball was still in play"; "insiders said the company's stock was in play" |
| Broader | action, activity, activeness |
| Verbs | play |
| Meaning | Utilization or exercise. |
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| Examples | "the play of the imagination" |
| Broader | use, usage, utilization, utilisation, employment, exercise |
| Verbs | play |
| Meaning | An attempt to get something. |
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| Examples | "they made a futile play for power" |
| Synonyms | bid |
| Broader | attempt, effort, endeavor, endeavour, try |
| Meaning | Play by children that is guided more by imagination than by fixed rules. |
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| Examples | "Freud believed in the utility of play to a small child" |
| Synonyms | child's play |
| Narrower | house; doctor; fireman |
| Broader | diversion, recreation |
| Verbs | play |
| Meaning | (in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds. |
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| Examples | "rain stopped play in the 4th inning" |
| Synonyms | playing period, period of play |
| Category | game |
| Part of | athletic game |
| Narrower | hole, golf hole; chukka, chukker; inning, frame; set; turn, bout, round; first period; second period; third period; final period; half; period; quarter; over |
| Broader | measure, quantity, amount |
| Verbs | play; play |
| Meaning | The removal of constraints. |
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| Examples | "they gave full play to the artist's talent" |
| Synonyms | free rein |
| Broader | freedom |
| Meaning | A weak and tremulous light. |
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| Examples | "the play of light on the water" |
| Synonyms | shimmer |
| Broader | change, alteration, modification |
| Verbs | play |
| Meaning | Verbal wit (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously). |
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| Synonyms | fun, sport |
| Narrower | jocosity, jocularity; waggery, waggishness; drollery, clowning, comedy, funniness; pun, punning, wordplay, paronomasia |
| Broader | wit, humor, humour, witticism, wittiness |
| Meaning | Movement or space for movement. |
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| Examples | "there was too much play in the steering wheel" |
| Synonyms | looseness |
| Narrower | wiggliness; slack, slackness |
| Broader | movability, movableness |
| Contrary | tightness, tautness |
| Verbs | play |
| Meaning | Gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement. |
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| Examples | "it was all done in play" |
| Synonyms | frolic, romp, gambol, caper |
| Narrower | flirt, flirting, flirtation, coquetry, dalliance, toying; folly, foolery, tomfoolery, craziness, lunacy, indulgence; game; horseplay; teasing; word play |
| Broader | diversion, recreation |
| Verbs | play; play |
| Meaning | The act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize). |
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| Examples | "there was heavy play at the blackjack table" |
| Synonyms | gambling, gaming |
| Narrower | sporting life; bet, wager; game of chance, gambling game; unlicensed gambling; throw |
| Broader | diversion, recreation; vice |
| Verbs | play; play; play; play |
| Meaning | The activity of doing something in an agreed succession. |
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| Examples | "it is still my play" |
| Synonyms | turn |
| Part of | game |
| Narrower | move; start, starting; innings; attack; down; bat, at-bat; lead; ruff, trumping |
| Broader | activity |
| Meaning | The act using a sword (or other weapon) vigorously and skillfully. |
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| Synonyms | swordplay |
| Narrower | fencing |
| Broader | action |
| Meaning | Participate in games or sport. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s; Somebody ----s something |
| Examples | "We played hockey all afternoon"; "play cards"; "Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches" |
| Entailed by | move, go; tie, draw |
| Narrower | curl; snooker; revoke; develop; develop; die; misplay; start; fumble; volley; unblock; replay; cricket; backstop; fullback; quarterback; cradle; exit; play out; field; catch; face off, bully off; tee off; ace; complete, nail; gamble; walk; bowl; golf; bandy; foul; put out; croquet; putt; seesaw; bid, call |
| Broader | compete, vie, contend |
| Similar to | meet, encounter, play, take on |
| Participle | played |
| See also | play out |
| Nouns | play; play; player; player; playing |
| Meaning | Act or have an effect in a specified way or with a specific effect or outcome. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s something; Something ----s something |
| Examples | "This factor played only a minor part in his decision"; "This development played into her hands"; "I played no role in your dismissal" |
| Broader | act, move |
| Similar to | play |
| Nouns | play; play |
| Meaning | Play on an instrument. |
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| Pattern | Something ----s; Somebody ----s |
| Model | Sam and Sue play |
| Examples | "The band played all night long" |
| Category | music |
| Narrower | sound off, strike up; swing; symphonize, symphonise; play along, accompany, follow; bow |
| Broader | perform |
| Similar to | play, spiel; play |
| Nouns | player; playing |
| Meaning | Play a role or part. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s; Somebody ----s something; Somebody ----s somebody |
| Examples | "Gielgud played Hamlet"; "She played the servant to her husband's master" |
| Synonyms | act, represent |
| Category | performing arts |
| Entailed by | enter |
| Narrower | make, pretend, make believe; support; enact, reenact, act out; act out; impersonate, portray; parody; emote |
| Broader | re-create |
| Similar to | act, play, act as; act, play, roleplay, playact; play |
| Nouns | playing; play; player; play |
| Meaning | Be at play. Be engaged in playful activity. Amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s |
| Examples | "The kids were playing outside all day"; "I used to play with trucks as a little girl" |
| Narrower | horse around, arse around, fool around, fool; frolic, lark, rollick, skylark, disport, sport, cavort, gambol, frisk, romp, run around, lark about; dabble, paddle, splash around |
| Broader | act |
| Similar to | play, recreate |
| Nouns | play; play; playing |
| Meaning | Replay (as a melody). |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s something |
| Model | They will play the duet |
| Examples | "Play it again, Sam"; "She played the third movement very beautifully" |
| Synonyms | spiel |
| Entailed by | pedal |
| Narrower | riff; misplay; fiddle; replay; prelude; jazz; rag; bugle; reprise, reprize, repeat, recapitulate; slur; bang out; modulate; tongue |
| Broader | re-create |
| Similar to | play |
| Nouns | playing |
| Meaning | Perform music on (a musical instrument). |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s something |
| Examples | "He plays the flute"; "Can you play on this old recorder?" |
| Category | music; music |
| Narrower | register; skirl; beat; tweedle; chord; pipe; drum; harp; fiddle; trumpet; clarion |
| Broader | sound |
| Similar to | play |
| Nouns | playing |
| Meaning | Pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s somebody |
| Examples | "She plays deaf when the news are bad" |
| Synonyms | act, act as |
| Broader | act, behave, do |
| Similar to | act, behave, do; act, play, represent |
| Meaning | Move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly. |
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| Pattern | Something is ----ing PP |
| Examples | "The spotlights played on the politicians" |
| Broader | travel, go, move, locomote |
| Nouns | play |
| Meaning | Bet or wager (money). |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s something |
| Examples | "He played $20 on the new horse"; "She plays the races" |
| Narrower | underplay |
| Broader | gamble |
| Similar to | play |
| Nouns | play |
| Meaning | Engage in recreational activities rather than work. Occupy oneself in a diversion. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s |
| Examples | "On weekends I play" |
| Synonyms | recreate |
| Similar to | play |
| Nouns | play; playing |
| Meaning | Pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s something; Somebody ----s somebody; Somebody ----s that CLAUSE |
| Examples | "Let's play like I am mommy"; "Play cowboy and Indians" |
| Broader | simulate, assume, sham, feign |
| Similar to | act, play, represent |
| Meaning | Emit recorded sound. |
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| Pattern | Something ----s; Something ----s something |
| Examples | "The tape was playing for hours"; "the stereo was playing Beethoven when I entered" |
| Broader | sound |
| Similar to | play, run |
| Meaning | Perform on a certain location. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s something |
| Examples | "The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16"; "She has been playing on Broadway for years" |
| Category | performing arts |
| Broader | perform |
| Similar to | act, play, roleplay, playact |
| Nouns | play; play |
| Meaning | Put (a card or piece) into play during a game, or act strategically as if in a card game. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s something |
| Examples | "He is playing his cards close to his chest"; "The Democrats still have some cards to play before they will concede the electoral victory" |
| Narrower | pitch; cover; declare |
| Broader | deploy |
| Similar to | play; play |
| Nouns | play |
| Meaning | Engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s something |
| Examples | "They played games on their opponents"; "play the stockmarket"; "play with her feelings" |
| Synonyms | toy |
| Broader | act, behave, do |
| Nouns | playing |
| Meaning | Behave in a certain way. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s; Something ----s something Adjective/Noun; Somebody ----s Adjective |
| Examples | "play safe"; "play it safe"; "play fair" |
| Broader | act, move |
| Similar to | play |
| Meaning | Cause to emit recorded sounds. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s something; Something ----s something |
| Model | Sam and Sue play the movie |
| Examples | "Can you play my favorite record?" |
| Synonyms | run |
| Similar to | run; play; run, execute |
| Meaning | Manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s PP |
| Examples | "She played nervously with her wedding ring"; "He played with the idea of running for the Senate" |
| Synonyms | toy, fiddle, diddle |
| Narrower | put out, retire |
| Broader | manipulate |
| Meaning | Use to one's advantage. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s PP |
| Examples | "She plays on her clients' emotions" |
| Broader | exploit, work |
| Nouns | play |
| Meaning | Consider not very seriously. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s PP |
| Model | Sam wants to play with Sue |
| Examples | "She plays with the thought of moving to Tasmania" |
| Synonyms | dally, trifle |
| Broader | consider, take, deal, look at |
| Similar to | dally, toy, play, flirt |
| Meaning | Be received or accepted or interpreted in a specific way. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s |
| Examples | "This speech didn't play well with the American public"; "His remarks played to the suspicions of the committee" |
| Meaning | Behave carelessly or indifferently. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s; Somebody ----s PP |
| Examples | "Play about with a young girl's affection" |
| Synonyms | dally, toy, flirt |
| Broader | act, move |
| Similar to | dally, trifle, play |
| Meaning | Cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s something; Something ----s something |
| Examples | "The engine has a wheel that is playing in a rack" |
| Broader | move, displace |
| Nouns | play |
| Meaning | Perform on a stage or theater. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s |
| Examples | "She acts in this play"; "I played in `A Christmas Carol'" |
| Synonyms | act, roleplay, playact |
| Category | dramaturgy, dramatic art, dramatics, theater, theatre |
| Narrower | stooge; mime, pantomime; overact, ham it up, ham, overplay; underact, underplay |
| Broader | perform |
| Similar to | play; play; act, play, represent; act |
| Nouns | playing; play; player; play |
| Meaning | Be performed. |
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| Pattern | Something ----s; Something is ----ing PP |
| Examples | "What's playing in the local movie theater?"; "`Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years" |
| Category | performing arts |
| Narrower | debut |
| Similar to | act, play, roleplay, playact |
| Nouns | play; play |
| Meaning | Cause to happen or to occur as a consequence. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s something; Something ----s something |
| Examples | "play a joke" |
| Synonyms | bring, work, wreak, make for |
| Broader | make, create |
| Similar to | work, act |
| Meaning | Discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream. |
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| Pattern | Something ----s; Somebody ----s something |
| Examples | "play water from a hose"; "The fountains played all day" |
| Broader | discharge |
| Meaning | Make bets. |
|---|---|
| Pattern | Somebody ----s something |
| Examples | "Play the reaces"; "play the casinos in Trouville" |
| Broader | bet, wager, play |
| Similar to | play; bet, wager, play |
| Nouns | play |
| Meaning | Stake on the outcome of an issue. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s; Somebody ----s something |
| Examples | "She played all her money on the dark horse" |
| Synonyms | bet, wager |
| Narrower | bet on, back, gage, stake, game, punt; play; raise; see |
| Broader | gamble |
| Similar to | play |
| Nouns | play |
| Meaning | Shoot or hit in a particular manner. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s something |
| Examples | "She played a good backhand last night" |
| Narrower | hook |
| Broader | hit |
| Similar to | meet, encounter, play, take on |
| Nouns | play |
| Meaning | Use or move. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s something |
| Examples | "I had to play my queen" |
| Narrower | promote |
| Broader | use, utilize, utilise, apply, employ |
| Similar to | meet, encounter, play, take on; play |
| Nouns | play |
| Meaning | Employ in a game or in a specific position. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s somebody |
| Examples | "They played him on first base" |
| Broader | use, utilize, utilise, apply, employ |
| Similar to | meet, encounter, play, take on; play |
| Nouns | play |
| Meaning | Contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s somebody |
| Model | Sam and Sue play; Sam cannot play Sue |
| Examples | "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"; "Charlie likes to play Mary" |
| Synonyms | meet, encounter, take on |
| Entails | compete, vie, contend |
| Narrower | confront, face; replay |
| Similar to | play; play; play; play |
| Nouns | play; playing |
| Meaning | Exhaust by allowing to pull on the line. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s something |
| Examples | "play a hooked fish" |
| Broader | exhaust, wash up, beat, tucker, tucker out |