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Glite Dictionary
to play as

to play as

7 3.4
To take the role of a character in a video game
  • phrasal verb
  • /pleɪ æz/
  • Jargon
translation icon : jugar como
  • The game is very fun, and I really think they improved playing as Batman.

I would never play as the female character.

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Examples

  • So it's decided, Jason is going to play as Maya in Borderlands 2, right?

    Blog text (2)

  • The Mass Effect trilogy is a fantastically feminist game... if you play as FemShep.

    Blog text (9)

  • I would never play as the female character.

    Adam Savage’s Tested

  • You can choose which one you want to play as at the beginning of the game.

    Blog text (19)

  • To win, robots must play as both individuals and team members.

    Academic text (2009)

  • I said, Eli, did you ever play as quarterback directly against your brother?

    StarTalk

  • So I'm going to be playing as the Egyptians.

  • In this one you play as a marooned Martian Rover.

  • Today I'll be playing as Rutherford, the world's smartest baby.

  • In this game, you can play as your favorite superheroes to save the city.

Synonyms

to act as
vsto play as
199 2.6

Serve in the role of a person or thing

is specifically about taking on a character role within video games
to represent
vsto play as
193 3.9

Act as a character in a play or film

is the same idea but applied specifically to interactive game contexts
to play a part
vsto play as
42 2.5

To act in a show or help make something happen

is narrower, referring to taking a character role within games or similar activities
to play the role of
vsto play as
36 3.0

To act as a character in a play or as someone in a real situation

is about adopting a character role mainly in video games or similar play
to role-play
vsto play as
7 3.8

To pretend to be someone else to practice acting and speaking in a situation

is used for taking a character role specifically in video games
to play-act
vsto play as
2 6.1

To act out a scene to practice or show how something happens

is more specific to adopting a character role inside video or interactive play
to playact
vsto play as
2 6.7

To pretend to be a person in a story on stage or with friends

is similar in acting but used for taking characters in game environments
to roleplay
vsto play as
2 4.7

Act as a character in a play or drama

is focused on taking a character role within video or similar interactive activities

Surface Forms

play as infinitive
played as past
played as past participle
playing as present participle
plays as third person singular

Morphology

play + as

The meaning ‘to take on the role of’ is directly derivable from combining 'play' (to portray or perform) with 'as' used to mark role/identity, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the MWE meaning. This verb + role-marker pattern is common in English and across languages, making the expression compositional and immediately understandable.

Etymology

Play as comes from the idea of play meaning to act and the word as showing you are that other person. Imagine putting on a costume or stepping into someone else's shoes in a game, so play as means 'to take on the role of' a particular character.