role-play

verb

ˈrōl-ˌplā How to pronounce role-play (audio)
-ˈplā
variants or less commonly roleplay
role-played also roleplayed; role-playing also roleplaying; role-plays also roleplays

transitive verb

1
: to act out the role of
2
: to represent in action
students were asked to role-play the thoughts and feelings of each characterR. G. Lambert

intransitive verb

: to play a role
role-play noun
or less commonly roleplay
plural role-plays also roleplays
I practice this with student social workers through case studies and role-play. Kevin Brazant, quoted in psychologytoday.com

Examples of role-play in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Magid suspected that filming the role-play would be challenging—with a multiplicity of narratives and durations of up to 12 hours—and wanted to focus on what that meant to the protagonists, personally. Savina Petkova, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 More than manga Toriyama was also celebrated for his contributions to video games, particularly to classic Japanese role-playing video games like the Dragon Quest series and Chrono Trigger. Nicholas Gordon, Fortune Asia, 8 Mar. 2024 That campaign will take long hours as this tactical role-playing game has players building a rebel army from scratch. Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 The first Dragon Quest release, a role-playing video game, was released in 1986 and since then there have been sequels and spinoff games, manga, anime and novels within the long-running franchise. Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 Those hardcore gamers, who are part of the tabletop-gaming world (think Dungeons & Dragons, Settlers of Catan, and other role-playing classics) drove sales at Dire Wolf to new heights during the pandemic, although Martins would not say exactly how many units of his company’s games have sold. John Wenzel, The Denver Post, 29 Feb. 2024 The three-story home boasts five rooms with three characters from the film — Mirabel, Antonio, and Abuela — for imaginative role-play. Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 Mothers who have confided in Nemer report their kids constantly asking to watch the news or role-playing the war by forming gangs and fighting in schools. TIME, 27 Feb. 2024 The latest Vanillaware gaming epic is a very interesting and entirely excellent tactical role-playing game, with the demo being a lot of fun. Ollie Barder, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'role-play.' 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

1949, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of role-play was in 1949

Dictionary Entries Near role-play

Cite this Entry

“Role-play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/role-play. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

role-play

verb
ˈrōl-ˌplā,
-ˈplā
: to act out the role of
role-play an interviewer

Medical Definition

role-play

transitive verb

intransitive verb

: to play a role

More from Merriam-Webster on role-play

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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