role-play

verb

ˈrōl-ˌplā 

-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 character …

—R. 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

Those are just a few of the 80 single-player minigames in this package, which also features Beatspell, a rhythmic role-playing adventure that requires nimble finger-work to cast spells. — ABC News, 26 June 2026

Throw in high steal rates the past two seasons in a solid conference, solid defensive work overall, plus-rebounding for his position and his ability to get free points in transition, and the outlines of a role-playing wing are there. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 20 June 2026

Summarize research on leadership best practices Generate drafts of communications, development plans, or role-play scenarios. — Laurel Donnellan, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for role-play

• aaa
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• axillae
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier
• breakaway

Kids Definition

role-play

verb

ˈrōl-ˌplā, 

-ˈplā

: to act out the role of

role-play an interviewer

Medical Definition

role-play

transitive verb

ˈrōl-ˌplā 

: act out

intransitive verb

: to play a role