play the role
idiom
: to act the part of (a particular character) in a film, play, etc.
He often plays the role of the villain.
—often used figurativelyHe was playing the role of (the) gracious host.
Examples of play the role in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Turing reminds us that while AI’s job is to play the role of A, our job is to play all the roles in the imitation game.
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Pia Lauritzen, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
In the musical, Eliza is more clearly given a separate romantic interest who is more her own age, though Feehan notes that Martin is younger than a lot of actors who play the role of Higgins.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2025
When the Disney+ series returns for season 2, Courtney B. Vance will play the role of Zeus, taking over as the god of thunder after season 1 cast member Reddick died in 2023 at age 60.
—EW.com, 22 July 2025
Andrew Barth Feldman will replace Darren Criss in the Tony Award-winning musical Maybe Happy Ending.
Feldman, who starred in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, as well as the film No Hard Feelings, will play the role of Oliver starting Sept. 2 for a nine-week run through Nov. 1.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2025
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Pia Lauritzen, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
In the musical, Eliza is more clearly given a separate romantic interest who is more her own age, though Feehan notes that Martin is younger than a lot of actors who play the role of Higgins.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2025
When the Disney+ series returns for season 2, Courtney B. Vance will play the role of Zeus, taking over as the god of thunder after season 1 cast member Reddick died in 2023 at age 60.
—EW.com, 22 July 2025
Andrew Barth Feldman will replace Darren Criss in the Tony Award-winning musical Maybe Happy Ending.
Feldman, who starred in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, as well as the film No Hard Feelings, will play the role of Oliver starting Sept. 2 for a nine-week run through Nov. 1.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for play the role
Cite this Entry
“Play the role.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20the%20role. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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