played

past tense of play
1
2
3
as in mocked
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
5
6
as in put
to risk (something) on the outcome of an uncertain event figuring that she had little to lose, she played her last few bucks on the state lottery

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of played Haiti became the first team in FIFA history to qualify without having played one game at home due to gangs’ takeover of its national stadium and the violence in Port-au-Prince. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026 Julian Dennison stars as the troubled Ricky Baker, a kid who ends up on the run with an irascible old man, played by Sam Neill. Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 14 July 2026 Not even an hour had been played and Spain was deservedly 2-0 up. Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 14 July 2026 Rose is among four players — and at 45, the youngest — to have played Royal Birkdale three times in the Open dating to 1998. ABC News, 14 July 2026 Boundaries of good and evil are blurred even further with the introduction of Batman’s most iconic villain, The Joker, played by Heath Ledger, who died before the film was released. Lea Tran, TheWeek, 14 July 2026 Kelce played a bully of a restaurant manager who fires a busboy (played by Bad Bunny). Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 8 July 2026 She has been featured in various TV shows, including an English show called Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), and played Desdemona in Broadway’s Othello before retiring in the early 1980s, per the Walt Disney Archives. Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026 On the bright side, there will be more fútbol played in the World Cup,. Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for played
Verb
  • Collins opted for a warm-weather look, wearing hers with linen shorts, a sports bra, and an oversized button-down shirt that can easily be recreated.
    Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026
  • Raphael has recreated the piece based, in part, on his recollections of seeing it over 40 years ago.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 July 2026
Verb
  • The state medical examiner’s office performed an autopsy on July 7 and has been waiting for results from toxicology tests, Lynd said.
    Holly Yan, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, IShowSpeed, and Robbie Williams also performed, and Tom Cruise made a special appearance.
    Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 19 July 2026
Verb
  • Florida State coach Mike Norvell, hailed for building a behemoth through the portal in 2023, is now never-endingly mocked by rivals.
    Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 15 July 2026
  • Hilton was quickly mocked, with online commenters pointing out that authentic Mexican street tacos are served in soft tortillas, cooked up by street vendors, and that the hard-shell varieties found in a fast-food chain do not count as the real deal.
    Linh Tat, Daily News, 15 July 2026
Verb
  • In the center, a cluster of tortellini lounged in a pool of truffle-flecked butter sauce.
    Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026
  • In the living room, a tabby cat with a clipped ear lounged on a velvet couch, her front paws propping open an illustrated catalogue of military aircraft.
    Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
Verb
  • Each company explicitly named the illness as a material business risk and warned fresh, raw leafy greens handled at its restaurants were at risk for the parasite.
    Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • Langley, 27, handled the mishap with ease and slipped into a Baltimore Ravens jersey before picking up her guitar and carrying on with the show at M&T Bank Stadium.
    Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026
Verb
  • But prices at the pump began to climb again after Iran resumed attacks on ships trying to exit the strait and after the US retaliated and put a blockade on Iranian ports.
    Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • Having said his piece, Armand puts a pen and paper in Louis’s headless hand.
    Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Verb
  • These clips will keep kids entertained and maybe even teach them something.
    Anna Halkidis, Parents, 17 July 2026
  • Big crowds of visitors were entertained at events all around town during the World Cup.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026
Verb
  • But in the aftermath of recent accusations against the late leader, Alvarado decided to recut his doc to remove the moments in which Chavez is portrayed in an overly positive light as a civil rights hero.
    Carlos Aguilar, IndieWire, 16 July 2026
  • The official Islamic Republic News Agency posted video that portrayed the launch of the strikes.
    Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 15 July 2026

Cite this Entry

“Played.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/played. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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