1
as in to recreate
to engage in activity for amusement
told her son that he needed some time to run and play in the yard after his hard work
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Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to perform
to present a portrayal or performance of
played Hamlet in the campus production of the classic
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3
as in to pose (as)
to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior
stop playing the innocent, because I know that you were behind that prank
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4
as in to lounge
to spend time in aimless activity
just played around while we waited for the bus to arrive
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to manipulate
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently
this is how we're going to play the situation
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1
as in relaxation
activity engaged in to amuse oneself
it's such a delight to watch the children in their play
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2
as in drama
a written work in which the story is told through speech and action that is intended to be acted out on stage
we'll be putting on a school play using that stage
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3
as in game
an attitude or manner not to be taken seriously
I didn't mean to insult anyone, for it was all just play
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in use
the act or practice of employing something for a particular purpose
the host's sense of humor was obviously in play during the awards ceremony
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5
as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
the guy at the bar made an unusually creative play to get her phone number
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as in to use
to take unfair advantage of
the candidate played on the voters' prejudices
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as in to exploit
to control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means
played upon the customer's vanity to convince her to buy the expensive makeup kit
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as in to toy (with)
to handle thoughtlessly, ignorantly, or mischievously
please don't play with the telephone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of play
Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024
Brolin plays Gurney Halleck, a mentor to Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 21 Nov. 2024
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2024
Playing at a quick tempo, the Bears ran 87 plays, posted a season-best 500 yards and rolled up 31 first downs.
—Jeff Faraudo, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for play 
Verb
This year, Milwaukee's airwaves are playing a little catchup.
—Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024
Brolin plays Gurney Halleck, a mentor to Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 21 Nov. 2024
Noun
Later, the American playwright Arthur Miller agreed to stage his plays in South Africa, but only for desegregated audiences.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2024
Playing at a quick tempo, the Bears ran 87 plays, posted a season-best 500 yards and rolled up 31 first downs.
—Jeff Faraudo, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for play
Recent Examples of Synonyms for play
Noun
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At Rosewood, rest and relaxation is also at the top of the menu.Rebekah Evans, The Week UK, theweek, 18 Nov. 2024
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Mack doesn’t put on his helmet and pads, but that doesn’t mean the day is one of pure relaxation.Elliott Teaford, Orange County Register, 8 Nov. 2024
Noun
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More divisional drama awaits on Thursday, Dec. 12 when the Los Angeles Rams come to Levi’s Stadium, with the regular-season finale Jan. 5 or 6 in Arizona.Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024
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Simply by virtue of being an HBO drama with good viewership numbers, The Penguin is at least going to be in the awards conversation.Joe Reid, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Theo Petit, 23, who came out to support France, said he was invited to the game by a friend.Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
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Intelligencer The Cut Vulture The Strategist Curbed Grub Street vulture games Nov. 13, 2024 A new Cinematrix drops every morning.Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The company had outstanding borrowings of $500,000 on its line of credit as of September 30, 2024, with an additional $750,000 available for use.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
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Francie’s and Janet’s cabins are also open for summer use from July to September.Margaret Jackson, The Denver Post, 13 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Agatha had put Ralph under a spell, forcing him to play Wanda’s brother Pietro in her ruse to steal Wanda’s dark magic.Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 19 Oct. 2024
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Speaking of which, does anyone understand why some elaborate ruse had to be pulled to get Andy’s SOID cube back?Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The basic Kindle Kids is also on sale for $95 ($35 off) which is smaller, more compact, and comes with fun covers to choose from.Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2024
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That sense of fun, and ego for its own sake, is the show’s go-to, with Pennette and company eschewing deeper meaning or morality in its cynical storytelling.Frank Rizzo, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Grande, 31, and Erivo, 37, shared an emotional moment while speaking about the new movie musical's friendship-forward themes in a video shared to Australian television series The Project's Instagram page with interviewer Georgie Tunny on Monday, Nov. 4.Tommy McArdle, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024
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That interpretation reached something of a tipping point with the September 30 death of Creel, one of Broadway’s most popular leading men of musicals and much beloved for his LGBTQ+ activism.Greg Evans, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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In the movie, Pitt’s character retires from the sport after suffering a crash but is thrusted back into action when he’s recruited by F1 team owner (Bardem) to mentor the rookie phenom Joshua Pearce (Idris).Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 22 Nov. 2024
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For all sports: Provide at least four separate rest breaks each hour with a minimum duration of four minutes each.Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Play.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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