play-by-play

noun

Definition of play-by-playnext
as in commentary
a series of explanations or observations on something (as an event) on Monday mornings she usually gives her coworkers a detailed play-by-play on how her weekend date went

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for play-by-play
  1. commentary
  2. analysis
Noun
  • At the center of the avatar experience is a Book Club, through which the digital character will share titles that have informed her thinking alongside her own commentary and recommendations.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 July 2026
  • Forget all the theories and commentaries, Homer seems to say.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
Definition of commentary
Noun
  • Henry is there for his gravitas and often masterful analysis, his breakdown of Harry Kane’s second goal against DR Congo being a case in point.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 18 July 2026
  • The systems target demanding high-performance computing (HPC) workloads alongside emerging agentic AI applications that can automate portions of scientific research and engineering analysis.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026
Definition of analysis
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

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play-by-play
play-by-plays
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Cite this Entry

“Play-by-play.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play-by-play. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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