role-play

verb

ˈrōl-ˌplā How to pronounce role-play (audio)
-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 characterR. 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 World of Warcraft, a groundbreaker in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) genre, was made into a movie. Chris Hewish, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024 Spending time with her is like live action role-playing parenthood. As Told To James Factora, Them, 10 Oct. 2024 Most recently, Purnell starred in the post-apocalyptic drama series Fallout for Amazon Prime Video, set within the world of the role-playing video game franchise of the same name. Justin Kroll, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2024 Besides Sega, some other video game entertainment companies that have bases of operations in Orange County include Blizzard Entertainment, known for World of Warcraft, and Bandai Namco, known for the fantasy role-playing Tales series and Pac-Man. Bailey Kanthatham, Orange County Register, 9 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for role-play 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'role-play.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of role-play was in 1949

Dictionary Entries Near role-play

Cite this Entry

“Role-play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/role-play. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

role-play

verb
ˈrōl-ˌplā,
-ˈplā
: to act out the role of
role-play an interviewer

Medical Definition

role-play

transitive verb

intransitive verb

: to play a role

More from Merriam-Webster on role-play

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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