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Glite Dictionary
to play booty

to play booty

9.9
To dance or move in a lively, playful way at a party
  • phrasal verb
  • NSFW
translation icon : bailar
  • At the club, everyone wanted to play booty once the music started.

Examples

  • She loves to play booty whenever she's out with friends.

  • She told me she was ready to play booty on her birthday night.

  • After a stressful week, he just wanted to play booty and forget his worries.

  • Don't forget to play booty at the party!

  • After a long week, she was ready to play booty and enjoy the lively atmosphere at the dance party.

  • As soon as the DJ began to play upbeat music, the guests started to play booty on the dance floor.

  • At the festival, everyone began to play booty when the band played their favorite song.

Synonyms

to boogie
vsto play booty
  • Informal
28 7.5

Dance energetically to lively upbeat music

can be the same but also carry a flirtatious or provocative attitude
to bump
vsto play booty
  • Offensive
16 8.6

To dance by moving the hips forward in time with music

is less narrowly sexual and can mean playful or provocative social dancing
to romp
vsto play booty
  • Literature
8 2.8

To run and play in a lively, energetic way

is specifically about dancing or enjoying oneself in social, sometimes provocative ways
to twerk
vsto play booty
  • NSFW
8 9.4

Shake your hips and bottom in time with music, often while low in a squat

is broader, covering playful dancing that may be less explicitly sexual
to get jiggy
vsto play booty
  • Slang
3 9.9

To dance in a lively, playful way

is similar but can be more playful or sexually provocative in social settings
to frisk
vsto play booty
3 4.4

To move in a happy, lively way, often by jumping or skipping

focuses more on dancing or social provocation rather than simple playfulness
to boogie on down
vsto play booty
  • Informal
1 8.8

To dance in a lively way to music

adds an optional playful or provocative social tone beyond pure energy
to cooch
vsto play booty
  • Offensive
9.9

To move the hips in a sexual, suggestive way

is wider in use, also meaning lively playful dancing beyond explicit sexuality

Antonyms

to sit still
66 1.0

Stay seated without moving

How Lively

to cut loose
  • Informal
18 4.4
to party
  • Informal
298 3.0
to play booty
  • NSFW
9.9
to dance
∞ 1.0
to sway
77 2.4

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

play + booty

The sense is only partly derivable: 'play' (to engage or have fun) combined with 'booty' (commonly slang for buttocks or sexualized area) can suggest playful or provocative dancing, but this relies on slang knowledge and cultural/pragmatic inference rather than a straightforward compositional pattern. Because 'booty' is informal/slang and the expression is culturally marked and variable, an average B1 learner who knows the literal words would likely not reliably infer the exact social/dance meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

The phrase play booty comes from people dancing in clubs, where someone would literally play with their booty, moving or showing their butt to the music. That's why it now means 'to dance or enjoy yourself' in a lively, playful, often sexy way.