: one that plays: such as
a
: a person who plays a game
a baseball player
a chess player
She's one of the team's best players.
b
: a person who plays a musical instrument
a piano player
c
: actor
… what drew these audiences was the emergence of the movie star from the ranks of the wholly anonymous players of a decade earlier.—
David Nasaw
David Nasaw
d
: a device that reproduces recorded material (such as video images or music) from a usually specified medium
a CD player
e
: one actively involved especially in a competitive field or process : participant
a key player in politics
f
or less commonly playa US slang
: a person and especially a man who has many lovers
Handsome and a well-paid professional, Keith, 35, chose to be a player, juggling a series of relatively brief and sometimes over-lapping intimate relationships with women.—Michel Marriott
Michel MarriottThis album has a lot of sexual references. It's almost like Bobby's … a playa.—Elliott Wilson
Elliott WilsonNote: The variant playa is more common in transcribed speech.
Examples of player in a Sentence
She's one of the team's best players.
The band's lead guitar player hurt his hand and couldn't play.
Piano players are called pianists.
Recent Examples on the Web
The worst-case scenario involves the young players not developing, as always, but there’s even more urgency this time around.
—Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
Hinch wants players to know a demotion in March is just the beginning of a longer story.
—Cody Stavenhagen, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
And in an era when a player like Reese, who stayed for four years, is becoming rare, coaches like Kansas’ Bill Self, Connecticut’s Danny Hurley and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo are gaining staying power and becoming more popular figures in the sport’s landscape.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 25 Mar. 2025
For a player who’s as aggressive down the field as Ward tends to be, that rings even truer.
—Derrik Klassen, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for player
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Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
Hinch wants players to know a demotion in March is just the beginning of a longer story.
—Cody Stavenhagen, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
And in an era when a player like Reese, who stayed for four years, is becoming rare, coaches like Kansas’ Bill Self, Connecticut’s Danny Hurley and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo are gaining staying power and becoming more popular figures in the sport’s landscape.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 25 Mar. 2025
For a player who’s as aggressive down the field as Ward tends to be, that rings even truer.
—Derrik Klassen, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for player
Cite this Entry
“Player.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/player. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.
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