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
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Recent Examples of plays
Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
In the dark romantic comedy-drama, True Blood alum Skarsgård, 49, plays tough biker Ray, who enters into a dominant-submissive relationship with Colin (Melling), a shy and directionless man who sings in a barbershop quartet.
—Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Choose a playful starting point like stretching while music plays — something easy to do every day.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Jan. 2026
While law enforcement plays a central role in reducing crime, the article overlooks the crucial role of community violence intervention (CVI) organizations.
—Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Lighting plays a subtle but powerful role.
—Amplified Content Studio, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Even Sadie Sink, who plays Max, offered her own theory to Vulture on where Max's mom was throughout the season.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Protein also plays a role in blood sugar management.
—Brianna Tobritzhofer, Health, 7 Jan. 2026
The military plays only an advisory role in the American system, giving input to the president’s deliberations but not otherwise independently adjudicating whether his or her decision is wise.
—Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2025
Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
Their plays seemed predictable and unimaginative by comparison to the winning teams, including the Patriots, who had at least one or two tricks up their sleeves.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 13 Jan. 2026
However, Kerr believed his team’s overall process during that loss was acceptable, noting that several of those plays were offensive fouls, not live-ball turnovers.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
When asked Sunday night if Roman is the right coach to be calling plays moving forward, Harbaugh was noncommittal.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
But the offense, which was the most expensive in the NFL and loaded with talent, was underwhelming in the 2025 season with Patullo calling the plays.
—Pat Gallen, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
The Bears’ vaunted defense almost closed things out, stopping the Eagles on three consecutive plays from the 2-yard line in the game’s final 2 minutes.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Verb
As Cuenca plays a ball to the feet of his striker, Wilson dashes in the other direction, delaying Ibrahima Konate’s forward jump because the centre-back knows Bradley is unable to track both him and Robinson at the same time.
—Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
In the dark romantic comedy-drama, True Blood alum Skarsgård, 49, plays tough biker Ray, who enters into a dominant-submissive relationship with Colin (Melling), a shy and directionless man who sings in a barbershop quartet.
—Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Choose a playful starting point like stretching while music plays — something easy to do every day.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Jan. 2026
While law enforcement plays a central role in reducing crime, the article overlooks the crucial role of community violence intervention (CVI) organizations.
—Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Lighting plays a subtle but powerful role.
—Amplified Content Studio, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Even Sadie Sink, who plays Max, offered her own theory to Vulture on where Max's mom was throughout the season.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Protein also plays a role in blood sugar management.
—Brianna Tobritzhofer, Health, 7 Jan. 2026
The military plays only an advisory role in the American system, giving input to the president’s deliberations but not otherwise independently adjudicating whether his or her decision is wise.
—Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2025
Noun
Two local kids here making huge plays for us — pretty great part of the story.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
Their plays seemed predictable and unimaginative by comparison to the winning teams, including the Patriots, who had at least one or two tricks up their sleeves.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 13 Jan. 2026
However, Kerr believed his team’s overall process during that loss was acceptable, noting that several of those plays were offensive fouls, not live-ball turnovers.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
When asked Sunday night if Roman is the right coach to be calling plays moving forward, Harbaugh was noncommittal.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
But the offense, which was the most expensive in the NFL and loaded with talent, was underwhelming in the 2025 season with Patullo calling the plays.
—Pat Gallen, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
The Bears’ vaunted defense almost closed things out, stopping the Eagles on three consecutive plays from the 2-yard line in the game’s final 2 minutes.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays
Verb
-
The new movie Marty Supreme recreates this world.—
Elizabeth Blair,
NPR,
25 Dec. 2025
-
The facility recreates real-world production lines and living environments and spans two floors.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
New York storyteller Laura Sims leads workshops and performs stories on Saturday and Sunday during the Atlanta Jewish Storytelling Festival at The Breman.—
Mary Caldwell,
AJC.com,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Mindy performs in this scene wearing a pair of Jimmy Choo’s Sacaria platform sandals.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Chelsea Handler honors Rob Reiner, mocks DiCaprio's 'Titanic' vacationNeed a news break?—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
5 Jan. 2026
-
There, Callahan mocks him, saying that killing him won't assuage Mike of his guilt.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Dec. 2025
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
-
An onboard synthesizer manipulates a small set of core sounds to mimic everything from the roar of a jet plane to the flushing of a toilet through a little speaker in the Brick.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Vecna psychically finds Hopper (David Harbour) and manipulates him to break the tank, cutting off the psychic link for her, Kali, and Max.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The driver then puts vehicle in drive, dragging officer about 100 yards with his arm inside the car.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Tonga has missed the past three games, which puts his availability for Sunday’s Wild Card showdown with the Chargers in significant doubt.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Asian streaming giant Viu has expanded its content offerings with the debut of Viu Shorts, a new vertical video section featuring bite-sized dramas in multiple Asian languages.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Now, the 40-year-old actress and singer is reckoning with how the dramas of adulthood can sometimes feel like something out of a Disney Channel show.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Commerce Department made clear that the easing does not apply to military or sensitive uses.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Jan. 2026
-
To monitor how the tax revenue is being spent, periodic audits for each of the three categories of uses will be required, with the first of those due in 2029.—
Lori Weisberg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plays. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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