PLAYS Synonyms: 240 Similar and Opposite Words

plays 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of play

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

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Relevance

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as in performs

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

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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

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as in idles

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

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as in manipulates

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

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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

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plays

2 of 2

noun

plural of play

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

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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

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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

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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 plays

Verb

Again, Madueke plays short to Odegaard, with Havertz, White and Zubimendi moving towards the ball. —

Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026 The Audacity creator Jonathan Glatzer and star Billy Magnussen, who plays wealthy tech CEO Duncan Park, took the stage at Deadline Contenders TV to talk about taking the tech monster lurking in the shadows and those responsible for its existence, and turning it into a comedy. —

Amanda Champagne-Meadows, Deadline, 26 Apr. 2026 In the college football coaching world, nobody plays the social media game better than Lane Kiffin. —

Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2026 But Tracee Chimo, who plays a bubbly, know-it-all maid, is a standout. —

Brent Lang, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026 Experts say that’s because magnesium plays an important role in our health. —

Anahad O’Connor, Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2026 Colman Domingo plays Jackson’s father as a kind of antihero, whose determination to help his sons succeed turns into something darker. —

Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026 The senior right fielder pushes forward and plays the game the same way — with passion and purpose. —

Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026 Even if Oettinger plays well, the Stars are vulnerable to losing this series; Minnesota is good, and more than capable of a deep playoff run. —

Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Apr. 2026

Noun

Lots of people don’t realize how much stylistic variety Wilson baked into his ten major plays, some of which are written in the mode of realism, others more akin to Greek tragedy. —

Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026 Lots of people don’t realize how much stylistic variety Wilson baked into his 10 major plays, some of which are written in the mode of realism, others more akin to Greek tragedy. —

Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026 Concepcion will carry the receiving volume, and Boston will carry the bigger plays and touchdowns. —

Zac Jackson, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026 His first collection, Death of a Naturalist, was published by Faber and Faber in 1966 and was followed by eleven other volumes of poetry, as well as collections of literary criticism, anthologies, translations, and verse plays. —

Nick Laird, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026 But Colorado made the key plays in the key moments on Friday night. —

Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026 If there’s trust on the back end, James can move up closer to the line of scrimmage to make plays and wreak havoc. —

Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026 Scott saved some of his best plays for the postseason. —

Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026 O’Neal gave himself three years in New York City to write plays and poetry and, most importantly, to live. —

Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays

Verb

These two sections meet, in a sense, in Blue Heron’s moving and surprising climax, which recreates a core scene from Romvari’s childhood — or at least seems to, on the surface.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
Take a peek at RetroCast The feature, displaying weather from New York City on Friday, April 3, 2026, closely recreates the look and feel of old-school local forecast segments, opening with a rotating globe-style display before transitioning into a full-screen forecast.

— Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026