play
- noun
- /pleɪ/
- Yet the characters in O'Neill's play look back more in hope than in sorrow.
- Shakespeare's plays
- play script
- perform plays
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Watch on YouTubeI think a good musical play is fucking epic.
- I think a good musical play is fucking epic.
- Those plays, those Greek plays, they were bloodbaths.
- So I I wrote a play kind of by accident.
- I shake my head, quote the play, write line numbers on the board.
- And there's a running theme in the play about clothing.
- There's that wonderful play by who's the Italian?
- And because we did it first as a play, it was scary.
- Well, I think the first like, play play was third grade.
- Hey, Kevin, did you see this play again?
Examples
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And now let me tell you that this play will have three acts.
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The main act was a play about a woman whose husband has died of AIDS.
Academic text (2011) -
So I I wrote a play kind of by accident.
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And and then I had a play that was put on.
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And the first comes from a play by David Mamet.
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It's one of the many plays we've worked out.
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The first thing I auditioned for was a play called Ghost Town.
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Have you seen Arthur Miller's play The Death of the Salesman?
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Satchmo at the Waldorf, his first play, opened last month in Orlando, Florida.
Academic text (2011) -
I recently saw a brilliant play about the struggles of a family during World War II.
Synonyms
A live show of a play, concert, or dance for an audience
A story performed by actors on stage
A performance of a play, film, or show for an audience
A short play with only one act
Putting on a play in a theatre with actors, sets, and lights
A staged play that actors perform live for an audience
An event where actors act a play for an audience
A written story to be performed, like a play or screenplay
An event where people put on a play with actors, a director, and stage sets
A story that actors perform on stage
A short acted scene often performed during a larger show
A public performance of a play
A written work like a play created to be performed by actors on stage, television, or film
Written words of a play that show the lines and stage directions for performance
A play written to be read rather than acted on stage
Idioms
- Informal
Act in a careless way by ignoring rules and other people's feelings
Not part of the game, for example when the ball or a player leaves the playing area
- Offensive
To pretend to be treated unfairly to get sympathy or avoid blame
- Literature
To mention someone's gender to gain an advantage in a discussion
- Informal
Use a chance as much as possible to get the most from it
- Informal
To put a lot of effort into work and enjoy free time actively
- Slang
Tell someone angrily to do something dangerous to stop them complaining
Compounds
Honest behavior that treats everyone the same and follows the rules in sport or competition
- Specialized
A play in American football where a player throws the ball forward to a teammate
- Literature
A play where characters are good or bad qualities to teach right and wrong
A planned move in American football by the team with the ball to move it or score
- Specialized
Works as soon as you connect or install it without needing any setup
A golf contest where each hole is a separate game and the player who wins more holes wins the contest
- Specialized
A record that plays at a slower speed and lasts longer than older records
- Jargon
A baseball or softball play when the defending team gets three players out in one action
- Jargon
A football play where the quarterback fakes a pass then hands the ball to a running back
- Jargon
A baseball play where a runner on third base tries to score as the batter bunts
- Jargon
The normal action during a game not counting set pieces like free kicks or penalties
A group performance where actors read a play aloud without full sets or learning lines
- Literature
A play from the Middle Ages that tells Bible stories, often about Jesus, performed for people
- Specialized
A play where a runner must advance and a fielder with the ball touches the base first
- Jargon
A play that lets a defender pass the start line then blocks them to open a gap for the runner
- Literature
A short ancient Greek play mixing serious drama with rude comedy and actors dressed as half-man, half-goat creatures
- Jargon
A baseball play where a runner on third base waits for a bunt then runs home to avoid being out
- Jargon
A risky baseball play where the runner on third base runs home while the batter bunts
How Long
Surface Forms
Etymology
Play comes from the old English word plega, which meant 'action' or 'fun'; a stage play is called that because it is an action performed for an audience, so the name links the idea of 'acting' to the dramatic work.