to play
- verb
- /pleɪ/
- Tomorrow, the cast will play their final performance for the season.
- now playing
- a band is playing
Yeah, No, I I played, I played a show in Nashville.
- Yeah, No, I I played, I played a show in Nashville.
- He he doesn't practice what he's going to play on stage when he tours.
- Maybe with when is Chappelle's playing in San Antonio right now.
- People come to see you play to escape their shit.
Examples
-
Therefore, they felt excited and honored that they could play a part in the development of the institution.
Academic text (2011) -
And it took them a while to play their first show.
-
Its impact seems to have been limited, however, because it played for only a short time.
Academic text (1990) -
So... so, you guys gonna play some tennis or something?
-
In December and January of 1945-46, the film played singly in New York for four weeks.
Academic text (2017) -
At the same time, he learned to play the trumpet and became a competent jazz musician.
Academic text (1999) -
The boys, abandoning Scalectrix, had gone to play in Hamish's tree-house and swing on his trapeze.
Fiction book (1990) -
Though he was no kind of snob, he delighted in playing such high-voltage showpieces as Rachmaninoff's "Paganini" Variations.
Academic text (2011) -
The theater will play the new musical starting next week.
-
They decided to play their latest film at the local cinema this weekend.
Synonyms
To entertain people by singing, acting, or dancing
To perform a play or show in front of an audience
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
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
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
Date several different people without wanting a serious relationship
To trick someone who trusts you by hiding your real plans to get something for yourself
To act as if you are attracted to the opposite sex to hide your true sexual feelings
Compounds
Honest behavior that treats everyone the same and follows the rules in sport or competition
- Literature
A play where characters are good or bad qualities to teach right and wrong
- 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 play in American football where a player throws the ball forward to a teammate
- 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
The normal action during a game not counting set pieces like free kicks or penalties
A planned move in American football by the team with the ball to move it or score
- Literature
A play from the Middle Ages that tells Bible stories, often about Jesus, performed for people
A group performance where actors read a play aloud without full sets or learning lines
- Jargon
A baseball play where a runner on third base tries to score as the batter bunts
- Specialized
A play where a runner must advance and a fielder with the ball touches the base first
- Jargon
A baseball play where a runner on third base waits for a bunt then runs home to avoid being out
- Literature
A short ancient Greek play mixing serious drama with rude comedy and actors dressed as half-man, half-goat creatures
- Jargon
A risky baseball play where the runner on third base runs home while the batter bunts
- Jargon
A play that lets a defender pass the start line then blocks them to open a gap for the runner
How Often
Surface Forms
Etymology
Play comes from the old English plegian, meaning 'to perform', and when a film or show 'plays' it is being performed or shown to the public, so the word keeps the idea of a public performance.