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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in performing

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in lounging

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in managing

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 playing Texas Ranger introduces bodycam video Prosecutors have begun playing video of law enforcement interrogations of Tanner Horner, beginning with Texas Ranger Job Espinoza demanding that Horner tell him where Athena is and asking if the child was alive or dead when Horner left her. —

Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026 Getting flexed into prime time, akin to Tuesday’s date in Boston, and playing in meaningful games in late March and early April is a signal Peterson’s vision is working. —

Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2026 Kendall and fellow seniors Abby Henry, a third baseman, and Madisyn Glenn, a utility player, are in the midst of their second straight season playing a full varsity schedule. —

Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026 After a one-season stint in Italy, Cooper retired from playing and joined the Lakers as an assistant coach in 1994, kick-starting a long and successful coaching career. —

Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2026 Seeing his vulnerability in [Episode] 17 — and Steve Howey did such a wonderful job playing it too. —

Max Gao, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026 These are the public spaces that guests mill about in—sipping a berry cooler at the long bar, enjoying a glass of malbec and a read by the stove, or playing monopoly at the communal table. —

Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2026 Jakucionis, the Heat’s first-round pick in last year’s draft, has now received two straight DNP-CDs (coach’s decision) after playing in 22 straight games. —

Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026 Three players on the Ryder Cup committee — Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Bradley — are playing in the Masters, the first major of the year. —

ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for playing

Verb

To Coimbra, some key questions involved amalgamating real-life characters into fictionalized ones while still honoring victims and survivors, as well as faithfully recreating the look and feel of the time.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 6 Apr. 2026
Maybe recreating the moment with him as a joke in practice.

— Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026