player

noun

play·​er ˈplā-ər How to pronounce player (audio)
: 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
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
This album has a lot of sexual references. It's almost like Bobby's … a playa.Elliott Wilson

Note: 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 Major players like MicroStrategy and Semler Scientific are now significant stakeholders, while hedge funds increasingly view bitcoin as a critical performance differentiator. Alice Liu, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 The touchdown catch caused wild celebrations on the Washington sideline, with players running onto the field and even head coach Dan Quinn jumping around in jubilation. Ben Morse, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024 Depending on what happens with the injured players, he could very well be needed. Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2024 The league’s gains have been helped by the star power of players such as Ohtani and Yankees star Aaron Judge, as well as additions such as the introduction of the pitch clock, which has quickened the pace of games. Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for player 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'player.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of player was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near player

Cite this Entry

“Player.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/player. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

player

noun
play·​er ˈplā-ər How to pronounce player (audio)
1
a
: a person who plays a game
b
c
: actor
2
: a device for playing recorded material (as music)
an MP3 player

More from Merriam-Webster on player

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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