: 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
Cameron Baez, Windermere, Sr. Buzz: A year after his brother was player of the year, the younger Baez shot 81-77 at 3A state after 71 at Region 2 (9th), 67 at District 5 (2nd) and 68 in the West Orange Invite (3rd).
—Steve Gorches, Orlando Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2025
First time player at the Cognizant Classic, Jordan Spieth, claimed T9 and won $259,900.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
For example, Apple didn’t invent the digital music players, the smartphone, or wireless earbuds.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025
Growing up, Edwards barely saw any Black players at local games—except for her own family.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for player
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Steve Gorches, Orlando Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2025
First time player at the Cognizant Classic, Jordan Spieth, claimed T9 and won $259,900.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
For example, Apple didn’t invent the digital music players, the smartphone, or wireless earbuds.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025
Growing up, Edwards barely saw any Black players at local games—except for her own family.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 3 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 12 Mar. 2025.
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