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Glite Dictionary
to play the stock market

to play the stock market

2 4.2
Buy and sell stocks to try to make a profit
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : invertir en la bolsa
  • He decided to play the stock market after reading about successful trading strategies.

So that's why I own gold, silver oil real estate and I don't play the stock market, but that's what I do.

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Examples

  • I play the stock-market.

    Boy Culture (2006)

  • Why not use your knowledge of the future to play the stock market?

    Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

  • Would St. Paul play the stock market?

    Elmer Gantry (1960)

  • Or, even more daring then, play the stock market.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • They're rushing in to play the stock market, to play the US economy, which makes the US dollar stronger.

  • With 5,000, I'd put one in the bank, one in bonds... and play the stock market with the rest.

    Consenting Adults (1992)

  • Many investors today choose to play the stock market to increase their wealth.

  • To gain financial independence, some people actively play the stock market during their free time.

Synonyms

to play
vsto play the stock market
495 4.2

Risk money by betting to try to win more

is buying and selling of shares to earn profit not pure gambling
to trade
vsto play the stock market
291 2.3

To buy and sell goods or services as a business

is focused on frequent share transactions specifically for profit
to speculate
vsto play the stock market
  • Specialized
10 7.0

To invest money in stocks or property taking a risk to make money quickly

is active buying and selling of shares aiming for profit often
to buy low, sell high
vsto play the stock market
1 3.9

To buy something when its price is low and sell it later to make money

is active buying and selling of shares rather than a single strategy

How Speculative

gamble
12 3.9
to play the stock market
2 4.2
to speculate
  • Specialized
10 7.0

Surface Forms

play the stock market infinitive
played the stock market past
played the stock market past participle
playing the stock market present participle
plays the stock market third person singular

Morphology

play + the + stock + market

The meaning is largely built from the constituents: 'stock market' clearly denotes the market for shares and 'play' can be used metaphorically to mean gamble or speculate, so the idea of actively trading stocks for profit is derivable. However, the financial sense of 'play' is an extended, somewhat figurative use that may not be immediately obvious to an average B1 learner without prior exposure, making the expression partially but not fully transparent.

Etymology

Play the stock market paints a picture of play like a game where people move money by buying and selling stocks in a busy market. So it means to actively 'trade' stocks to try to make money, but like a game it can bring big profits or big losses.