1
as in to recreate
to engage in activity for amusement
told her son that he needed some time to run and play in the yard after his hard work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to perform
to present a portrayal or performance of
played Hamlet in the campus production of the classic
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to pose (as)
to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior
stop playing the innocent, because I know that you were behind that prank
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to lounge
to spend time in aimless activity
just played around while we waited for the bus to arrive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to manipulate
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently
this is how we're going to play the situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in relaxation
activity engaged in to amuse oneself
it's such a delight to watch the children in their play
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in drama
a written work in which the story is told through speech and action that is intended to be acted out on stage
we'll be putting on a school play using that stage
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in game
an attitude or manner not to be taken seriously
I didn't mean to insult anyone, for it was all just play
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in use
the act or practice of employing something for a particular purpose
the host's sense of humor was obviously in play during the awards ceremony
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
the guy at the bar made an unusually creative play to get her phone number
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to use
to take unfair advantage of
the candidate played on the voters' prejudices
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as in to exploit
to control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means
played upon the customer's vanity to convince her to buy the expensive makeup kit
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as in to toy (with)
to handle thoughtlessly, ignorantly, or mischievously
please don't play with the telephone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of play
Jim Reineking, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
How Nvidia plays export whack-a-mole Culture champion.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2025
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 2 May 2025
Salovey, who is directing the play this year, works with Producing Director Becca Myers, Sarah Price-Keating and longtime La Jollan Ali Viterbi to interview women, craft original monologues based on their stories and bring in professional actresses to portray them.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for play
Verb
Vick had a career-high 540 yards rushing in 1988 and played only four NFL seasons.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
How Nvidia plays export whack-a-mole Culture champion.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2025
Noun
Tannahill’s plays include Late Company and Botticelli in the Fire.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 2 May 2025
Salovey, who is directing the play this year, works with Producing Director Becca Myers, Sarah Price-Keating and longtime La Jollan Ali Viterbi to interview women, craft original monologues based on their stories and bring in professional actresses to portray them.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for play
Recent Examples of Synonyms for play
Noun
-
Now lazy-river fans know the No. 1 place to experience relaxation on the water: Discovery Cove in Orlando, Florida.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
30 Apr. 2025
-
There’s plenty at Dreams Estrella del Mar Mazatlán besides the spa to aid in your relaxation.—
Johanna Read,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Take a breath everyone, the Avs and Stars have more drama for us over the coming week.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
-
Talk a little bit about the drama of that, how that works behind the scenes.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Heat came up short in the first two games of the first-round Eastern Conference series.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2025
-
In the running game, the running back class in the draft is something that vice president of player personnel Will McClay has confidence in going into day two.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Which is where the use of passphrases enters the equation.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
-
While the Army and Navy hope to soon deploy the first US hypersonic missile for use in combat, the military continues pursuing more advanced hypersonic technology.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Vulture Parent Puppet The puppet ruse is designed to prevent the baby from imprinting on humans.—
Amanda Kooser,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Those ruses have spurred restrictive voting laws across the country, despite the failure over the years of anybody finding fraud happening beyond small and rare instances — and certainly not at the scale of deciding major elections.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Add a new pattern to mom’s collection with this fun number, done up with shades of blues, pinks, and greens.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
4 May 2025
-
Though fun is a funny word to use considering Thunderbolts is all about depressed anti-heroes looking for a sense of purpose.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
3 May 2025
Noun
-
Stephen Sondheim might have enjoyed the challenge of creating a musical from such an outlandish premise.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Apr. 2025
-
There’s probably a lot of coffee, as well as a starry-eyed love of stage performance, especially classic musicals and dance.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2025
-
For every person who happily sets 4:00 a.m. alarms on race morning, there’s another convinced the sport is too hard, too boring, or a waste of time, if not outright harmful.—
Cindy Kuzma,
SELF,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Play.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
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