PLAYING Synonyms: 170 Similar and Opposite Words

playing

verb

present participle of play

as in recreating

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

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in performing

to present a portrayal or performance of played Hamlet in the campus production of the classic

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as in mocking

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

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as in lounging

to spend time in aimless activity just played around while we waited for the bus to arrive

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as in managing

to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently this is how we're going to play the situation

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as in putting

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

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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 playing With fewer matches, shorter timelines and captaincy playing a huge role, identifying the right elite assets can make or break your World Cup Fantasy campaign. —

Abdul Rehman, New York Times, 11 June 2026 Simmons fits in nicely alongside eighth-graders Ella Parece and Molly Buffington, all playing a big role in the run this time. —

Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 11 June 2026 However, Raúl Rangel has been the starting goalkeeper during Mexico’s past three warm-up matches, playing the full 90 minutes each time. —

Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026 Olivier was venerated as a Shakespearean actor, playing many iconic protagonists in London including Hamlet, Henry V, Macbeth and, controversially, Othello. —

ABC News, 10 June 2026 Garrett is ambivalent about playing hockey, which he was forced into by his cold and extremely famous star-athlete father (Steve Howey, giving perfect network-procedural-bad-guy energy). —

Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026 While there have been examples of such films succeeding (think Tyler Perry playing Madea in more than a dozen movies), this type of drag is typically reserved for more underground pictures. —

David MacK, CNN Money, 10 June 2026 New York leads, 12-7, after a pair of early 3-pointers and by playing fast to try to get ahead of the defense of Victor Wembanyama. —

Andrew Greif, NBC news, 4 June 2026 Hanging on his wall as inspiration was a rhapsodic review of My Left Foot, which earned Daniel Day-Lewis his first Oscar for playing a guy with cerebral palsy. —

Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for playing

Verb

His designer drew inspiration from the 19th century residence, recreating its round turret and green trim.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 June 2026
Dawn Kish, a former Grand Canyon river guide and current documentarian of reemerging Glen Canyon, has spent hundreds of hours exploring the canyons and recreating photos taken before the dam gates closed.

— Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 7 June 2026