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
Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Following the departure of Robin Weigert's Teddi following season 1, that leaves only Hartley and Fiona Rene, who plays attorney Reenie Greene, from Colter's original stable.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Oct. 2025
Jordan plays twin brothers who are war vets that return to their Southern hometown.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025
No one expected Mjällby AIF, a team that plays in a village of around 1,500 inhabitants, to contend for the Swedish league.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
As the largest global trade organization of movie theater owners, Cinema United plays a critical role in advocating for the interests of the theatrical experience.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
Key Takeaways Vitamin K is essential for overall health, but vitamin K2 plays a more specific role in bone health.
—T'keyah Bazin, Verywell Health, 14 Oct. 2025
Lupe watched her two worlds collide as Simons, Brody, and Jackie Tohn, who plays Sasha’s wife Esther on the series, got to meet Succession actors like Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
But sleep plays an important role in keeping our dogs sharp.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2025
Keenan Allen is always around and simply continues to make plays.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2025
But the Panthers’ splash plays came at a rate that would have been hard for even the most optimistic Panthers supporter to predict.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2025
Four plays later, Nix found RJ Harvey for a 2-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to three points.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Among the toughest adjustments that come with this new Heat offensive plan has been finding structure within the chaos, as coach Erik Spoelstra is calling fewer plays from the sideline and players are being urged to push the pace.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
The Raiders ran 30 plays – total!
—Chris Bumbaca, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
Went through the progression as normal and got two negative plays in a row after the screen.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Oct. 2025
Fields dropped back four straight times on New York’s final four plays of the game.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
Flueger, 41, who plays Adam Ruzek on the police drama, plans to return later this season, PEOPLE confirms.
—Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Following the departure of Robin Weigert's Teddi following season 1, that leaves only Hartley and Fiona Rene, who plays attorney Reenie Greene, from Colter's original stable.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Oct. 2025
Jordan plays twin brothers who are war vets that return to their Southern hometown.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025
No one expected Mjällby AIF, a team that plays in a village of around 1,500 inhabitants, to contend for the Swedish league.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
As the largest global trade organization of movie theater owners, Cinema United plays a critical role in advocating for the interests of the theatrical experience.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
Key Takeaways Vitamin K is essential for overall health, but vitamin K2 plays a more specific role in bone health.
—T'keyah Bazin, Verywell Health, 14 Oct. 2025
Lupe watched her two worlds collide as Simons, Brody, and Jackie Tohn, who plays Sasha’s wife Esther on the series, got to meet Succession actors like Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
But sleep plays an important role in keeping our dogs sharp.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
And those are the kind of plays that are just character plays.
—Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2025
Keenan Allen is always around and simply continues to make plays.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2025
But the Panthers’ splash plays came at a rate that would have been hard for even the most optimistic Panthers supporter to predict.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2025
Four plays later, Nix found RJ Harvey for a 2-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to three points.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Among the toughest adjustments that come with this new Heat offensive plan has been finding structure within the chaos, as coach Erik Spoelstra is calling fewer plays from the sideline and players are being urged to push the pace.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
The Raiders ran 30 plays – total!
—Chris Bumbaca, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
Went through the progression as normal and got two negative plays in a row after the screen.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Oct. 2025
Fields dropped back four straight times on New York’s final four plays of the game.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays
Verb
-
Police body cam footage recreates the months that led up to the tragic shooting, reconstructing the tale of a woman who frequently complained about the neighborhood's kids and hurled racial slurs at them before claiming the life of one of their mothers.—
Rebecca Aizin,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The platform, called Multicellular Integrated Brains or miBrains, recreates key features of real human brain tissue, offering a more accurate way to test drugs and understand disorders like Alzheimer’s.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Google has been reorienting its Android smartphones’ software around this concept, with features like Circle to Search, which performs a Google search based on what’s on your phone’s screen.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Compare the results and see which one performs best for your task.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The exchange mocks our urge to impose order on the messiness of narrative.—
Manvir Singh,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Elon Musk wades back into UK politics, backs leader of new right-wing party, mocks rival.—
,
FOXNews.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Instead of relying on pigments or coatings, LightRipple manipulates reflection and refraction at the microscopic level, producing a dynamic play of gold and shadow that shifts subtly as the case moves.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Complicating matters is the insidious Host character (voiced by Len Cunningham’s father, Liam Cunningham), who manipulates the players’ reality.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
While After the Hunt rushes through how Maggie and Alma’s differences were resolved, Maggie lands a polemic Rolling Stone op-ed that further puts Alma’s tenure in jeopardy.—
Essence,
Essence,
15 Oct. 2025
-
With a traditional breast augmentation, most surgeons use general anesthesia, which puts patients fully out and requires a breathing tube.—
Jolene Edgar,
Allure,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Such lofty throughlines are an important element of HBO prestige dramas and great crime thrillers.—
Grace Byron,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Though his meticulous style might seem tailor-made for prestige dramas centered on the exceedingly affluent, storytelling remains his true focus.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The uses were truly endless (at least in the 1990s).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
-
By contrast, new housing, especially when replacing empty lots or obsolete uses, tends to have just a marginal impact on traffic.—
Belal Aftab,
Mercury News,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plays. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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