1
as in recreates
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 performs
to present a portrayal or performance of
played Hamlet in the campus production of the classic
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in mocks
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 idles
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 manipulates
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently
this is how we're going to play the situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in puts
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
1
as in dramas
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
2
as in uses
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
3
as in ruses
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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of plays
Steve Madeley, New York Times, 18 May 2026
And apologies to Pedro Pascal (who plays the Mandalorian), but his costar tends to steal every scene.
—Tracy Smith, CBS News, 17 May 2026
The laugh out loud production features a starry cast including Rose Byrne, Kelli O’Hara, Marc Consuelos, who plays the former flame at the center of the story, Aasif Mandvi, and Christopher Fitzgerald.
—Shivani Vora, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Perry plays Mary Cooper, Sheldon’s deeply religious and fiercely protective mom — a character originally portrayed in The Big Bang Theory by her real-life mother, Laurie Metcalf.
—Jane Lacroix, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
Bening plays Beulah Jackson, a larger-than-life Texas businesswoman who owns and operates 10 Petal Ranch along with her family.
—William Earl, Variety, 17 May 2026
Later Sunday, last year’s bronze-medal winner Sweden faces Denmark and Norway plays Slovenia in Fribourg.
—ABC News, 17 May 2026
The only loss in that streak was against The Academy of Central Florida — which plays outside the FHSAA.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 May 2026
One award on Sunday was presented by two big British stars of the upcoming HBO Harry Potter series, namely Paapa Essiedu, who is portraying Severus Snape, and Nick Frost, who plays Hagrid.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 May 2026
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026
Simmons explained the mentality behind his own plays while also soliciting and listening to Thorn’s feedback.
—Pj Green
may 23, Kansas City Star, 23 May 2026
In addition, 76 percent of the new plays crowned at the Drama Desk Awards since 2000 later won at the Tony Awards.
—Marc Hershberg, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Hartenstein had a ton of plays where he was caught pulling hair or arms of Spurs players.
—David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
Most matches in the 30-team league serve up a few sharp plays that would pass muster in several of the world’s top leagues, and MLS fans can see young players who might evolve into players worthy of Europe’s top leagues.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 May 2026
While value plays are catching the eye of investors, higher prices in the economy are catching the eye of economists.
—Tobias Burns, CNBC, 22 May 2026
This could be a top 10 running backs group in 2026 with McDaniel calling the plays.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Several Evans defensive players had big plays in the shutout of Jesuit.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 May 2026
Verb
Fans serenaded Saiss, who now plays for Qatari side Al Sadd, and showed their appreciation for Jimenez throughout the game on Sunday, even when the Mexico international was simply warming up before his second-half introduction.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 18 May 2026
And apologies to Pedro Pascal (who plays the Mandalorian), but his costar tends to steal every scene.
—Tracy Smith, CBS News, 17 May 2026
The laugh out loud production features a starry cast including Rose Byrne, Kelli O’Hara, Marc Consuelos, who plays the former flame at the center of the story, Aasif Mandvi, and Christopher Fitzgerald.
—Shivani Vora, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Perry plays Mary Cooper, Sheldon’s deeply religious and fiercely protective mom — a character originally portrayed in The Big Bang Theory by her real-life mother, Laurie Metcalf.
—Jane Lacroix, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
Bening plays Beulah Jackson, a larger-than-life Texas businesswoman who owns and operates 10 Petal Ranch along with her family.
—William Earl, Variety, 17 May 2026
Later Sunday, last year’s bronze-medal winner Sweden faces Denmark and Norway plays Slovenia in Fribourg.
—ABC News, 17 May 2026
The only loss in that streak was against The Academy of Central Florida — which plays outside the FHSAA.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 May 2026
One award on Sunday was presented by two big British stars of the upcoming HBO Harry Potter series, namely Paapa Essiedu, who is portraying Severus Snape, and Nick Frost, who plays Hagrid.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 May 2026
Noun
Anthony Velasquez threw a complete-game one-hitter while relying on his defense to make the routine plays and deal with six walks and only one strikeout.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026
Simmons explained the mentality behind his own plays while also soliciting and listening to Thorn’s feedback.
—Pj Green
may 23, Kansas City Star, 23 May 2026
In addition, 76 percent of the new plays crowned at the Drama Desk Awards since 2000 later won at the Tony Awards.
—Marc Hershberg, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Hartenstein had a ton of plays where he was caught pulling hair or arms of Spurs players.
—David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
Most matches in the 30-team league serve up a few sharp plays that would pass muster in several of the world’s top leagues, and MLS fans can see young players who might evolve into players worthy of Europe’s top leagues.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 May 2026
While value plays are catching the eye of investors, higher prices in the economy are catching the eye of economists.
—Tobias Burns, CNBC, 22 May 2026
This could be a top 10 running backs group in 2026 with McDaniel calling the plays.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Several Evans defensive players had big plays in the shutout of Jesuit.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays
Verb
-
The series recreates ordinary Soviet life from the period with painstaking detail and spares no one and nothing in its criticisms of what led to the disaster and how it was handled.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
14 May 2026
-
TikTok recreates this dynamic, but replaces network scheduling with algorithmic curation.—
Jessica Maddox,
The Conversation,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The tests are intended to evaluate how the product performs across a range of soils, climates, and agricultural conditions.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
17 May 2026
-
Balibar, who has worked with Arnaud Desplechin, Mathieu Amalric, Olivier Assayas and Jacques Rivette, and also performs as a singer and stage actor, rounds out the principal cast.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
And after running expansion mocks before the April 3 proceedings, the Tempo anticipated veteran wing Bridget Carleton — native of Chatham, Ontario – would be available for the second pick.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
-
But her desperation seems exposed at Cupertino, too, where Little Tim mocks her for her dim suggestion that psychotherapists be deployed to the company’s Guangzhou factory to cool down a labor crisis.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As your car idles, warm air blown from the top of your dashboard will melt the ice on the outside of the windshield.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
27 Dec. 2025
-
Security camera footage shows a black vehicle park in front of Café Bernardo, a restaurant, and idles for about two minutes.—
Madisen Keavy,
CBS News,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Researchers from Doshisha University in Japan have found that the bat does not merely survive this sensory overload, but also actively manipulates its environment to overcome the clutter and locate its prey.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 May 2026
-
Flashbacks are deployed as more than mere framing devices, since the past plays an active, exciting role in the town’s present, and there’s an extended drug trip that skillfully manipulates lapsed time through recurring blackouts to keep you on the edge of your seat.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Romano puts herself in the curious position of fighting a battle that has already been won on facts but not yet in legend.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Also, spin rate (how fast the ball spins after being released) is king, and that also puts tremendous strain on the elbow and shoulder.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
In his urban dramas, Kurosawa can open a frame onto the sprawl of Tokyo; on a historical set, any exterior view risks revealing a studio wall or an anachronism.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 May 2026
-
The dramas and comedies of Fall 2026 that will be aired by the big four networks will have a much better chance of being popular reruns in 2036 or 2046 than anything made for Netflix.—
Ted Linhart,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Village officials plan to redevelop the Signode site with recreational and public uses, as well as open space.—
Jennifer Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2026
-
There were positive signs in the latest earnings season that AI could unlock a productivity boom for companies as businesses find more uses for AI.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plays. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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