variants
or less commonly roleplay
role-played also roleplayed; role-playing also roleplaying; role-plays also roleplays
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
R. G. Lambert
: 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
Kevin Brazant, quoted in psychologytoday.com
Examples of role-play in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Most, if not all, of the recent anti-ICE protests have taken place in Brookhaven, a role-playing server set in an idyllic suburb where players can become cops, nail technicians, firefighters, and more, that usually has around 600,00 concurrent players.
—Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2025
Instead of summarizing leadership principles, AI can role-play challenging workplace scenarios, prompting learners to respond and then guiding them to refine their communication.
—Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
The season will explore the dark reality of the wholesome youth group, unmasking the high-pressure pipeline of brutal spiritual bootcamps, role-playing scenarios, and relentless psychological control all under the command of a charismatic leader.
—Abigail Lee, Variety, 18 June 2025
Perkins and Crawford, who led the Dungeons & Dragons design team for decades, have literally helped write the books on the most popular role-playing game in history.
—Jevon Phillips, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for role-play
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Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2025
Instead of summarizing leadership principles, AI can role-play challenging workplace scenarios, prompting learners to respond and then guiding them to refine their communication.
—Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
The season will explore the dark reality of the wholesome youth group, unmasking the high-pressure pipeline of brutal spiritual bootcamps, role-playing scenarios, and relentless psychological control all under the command of a charismatic leader.
—Abigail Lee, Variety, 18 June 2025
Perkins and Crawford, who led the Dungeons & Dragons design team for decades, have literally helped write the books on the most popular role-playing game in history.
—Jevon Phillips, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for role-play
Cite this Entry
“Role-play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/role-play. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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