player

noun

play·​er ˈplā-ər 

: 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 or service that reproduces recorded material (such as video images or music)

You can listen to the full episode using the media player above (or wherever you listen to podcasts).

—Tan Vinh

—often used with a specified medium

a digital media player

e

: one actively involved especially in a competitive field or process : participant

a key player in politics

f

or less commonly playa

ˈplā-ə 

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.

Synonyms of player

• instrumentalist
• musician
• artist

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

Overstreet’s connection to coaching pro players such as cornerback Jaylon Johnson (Chicago Bears) and DaRon Bland (Dallas Cowboys) has become a resource that many of the Knights are trying to tap into. —Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2026

The Penguins' 11th overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft, Ben Kindel, is set to become the youngest Penguins player to appear in a Stanley Cup Playoff game since Jordan Staal in 2007. —Garrett Behanna, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026

Pickleball players enthused over new courts are likely to be the only residents — outside of municipal employees — who think San Diego is even slightly better run now than in 2011. —U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2026

Keeping these players in Atlanta was just so important to us. —Charles Odum, Chicago Tribune, 18 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing player

• bit player
• most valuable player
• non-player character
• player piano
• record player
• tape player
• team player

Rhymes for player

• gayer
• grayer
• greyer
• layer
• mayor
• nayar
• payer
• payor
• peyer
• preyer
• sayer
• slayer

Kids Definition

player

noun

play·​er ˈplā-ər 

1

a

: a person who plays a game

b

: musician

c

: actor

2

: a device for playing recorded material (as music)

an MP3 player