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
Mandy Gonzalez, star of In The Heights, Hamilton and Aida, will play the role of Norma Desmond at select performances of Broadway‘s upcoming Sunset Blvd., taking one performance a week with star Nicole Scherzinger taking all others.
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Greg Evans, Deadline, 18 July 2024
No one will take Aiyuk’s job as the team’s No. 1 receiver — the X in Kyle Shanahan’s offense — but Pearsall will play the role until Aiyuk arrives in Santa Clara.
And don’t be shocked if the Niners are just fine with that for a while.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 6 June 2024
Playing Ariel is About Setting a Positive Example When thinking about who inspired her to show up as the best version of herself to play the role of Ariel, 12-year-old Mykal-Michelle Harris points to Halle Bailey, who played Ariel in the live-action version of The Little Mermaid.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 20 June 2024
But coalition politics could still prompt her to seek an alliance with Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose party — which has neo-Fascist roots — emerged as the election’s big winner, leaving her positioned to play the role of political kingmaker.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for play the role 
Greg Evans, Deadline, 18 July 2024
No one will take Aiyuk’s job as the team’s No. 1 receiver — the X in Kyle Shanahan’s offense — but Pearsall will play the role until Aiyuk arrives in Santa Clara.
And don’t be shocked if the Niners are just fine with that for a while.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 6 June 2024
Playing Ariel is About Setting a Positive Example When thinking about who inspired her to show up as the best version of herself to play the role of Ariel, 12-year-old Mykal-Michelle Harris points to Halle Bailey, who played Ariel in the live-action version of The Little Mermaid.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 20 June 2024
But coalition politics could still prompt her to seek an alliance with Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose party — which has neo-Fascist roots — emerged as the election’s big winner, leaving her positioned to play the role of political kingmaker.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for play the role
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.
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“Play the role.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20the%20role. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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