play the role
idiom
: to act the part of (a particular character) in a film, play, etc.
He often plays the role of the villain.
—often used figurativelyHe was playing the role of (the) gracious host.
Examples of play the role in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Edward Norton stepped in to play the role of Pete Seeger after a production delay led to Benedict Cumberbatch dropping out.
—
J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024
The streamer has ordered six episodes of the series, with Ludwig set to play the role of Ish.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 26 Mar. 2024
The purpose of red-teaming exercises is to play the role of the adversary (the red team) and find hidden vulnerabilities in the defenses of the blue team (the defenders) who then think creatively about how to fix the gaps.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Mar. 2024
Twigs will play the role of Eric’s late fiancée, Shelly.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024
McCormack will play the role of Jane Swire, wife of Dr. Jim Swire who will be played by Academy Award- and BAFTA-winning star Firth (The King’s Speech, A Single Man, The Staircase).
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2024
Isabel Keating, the understudy for the role, will continue to play the role for performances through Feb. 11.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2024
Todaro recalls how her father, Italian opera singer Jose Todaro, used to play the role of Othello in black makeup.
—Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2024
When times are tough, with gloomy headlines and life trickier to navigate, restaurants can play the role of a cherished friend.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023
J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024
The streamer has ordered six episodes of the series, with Ludwig set to play the role of Ish.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 26 Mar. 2024
The purpose of red-teaming exercises is to play the role of the adversary (the red team) and find hidden vulnerabilities in the defenses of the blue team (the defenders) who then think creatively about how to fix the gaps.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Mar. 2024
Twigs will play the role of Eric’s late fiancée, Shelly.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024
McCormack will play the role of Jane Swire, wife of Dr. Jim Swire who will be played by Academy Award- and BAFTA-winning star Firth (The King’s Speech, A Single Man, The Staircase).
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2024
Isabel Keating, the understudy for the role, will continue to play the role for performances through Feb. 11.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2024
Todaro recalls how her father, Italian opera singer Jose Todaro, used to play the role of Othello in black makeup.
—Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2024
When times are tough, with gloomy headlines and life trickier to navigate, restaurants can play the role of a cherished friend.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'play the role.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near play the role
Cite this Entry
“Play the role.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20the%20role. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share