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
Mike Defabo, New York Times, 17 May 2026
The Packers won their fourth Super Bowl, and Rodgers earned two of his four MVPs with McCarthy calling the plays.
—Will Graves, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2026
Several Evans defensive players had big plays in the shutout of Jesuit.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 May 2026
Turns out the modern family compound—once mainly associated with dynasties, succession battles and the occasional Kennedy—is becoming one of real estate’s more strategic plays.
—Natalie Hoberman, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Royals relievers Daniel Lynch IV and Nick Mears worked around traffic, aided by some quality defensive plays.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 16 May 2026
Though disappointed with Microsoft's latest fiscal third-quarter report, Jim is confident that Microsoft has the resources needed to get ahead despite the recent rotation out of the stock into hotter AI plays.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 15 May 2026
Saudi forward Saeed Al-Owairan’s solo goal against Belgium at the 1994 World Cup is considered one of the tournament’s historic plays.
—Tushaar Kuthiala, Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 May 2026
Those kind of plays have the Wild coaches praising Hartman for his maturity, in not taking the bait and retaliating with an act that might mean another lengthy suspension.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 9 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
As his mobility declines, he’s been unable to extend plays to attack downfield and has appeared unwilling to take some of the contact necessary to create explosive plays.
—Mike Defabo, New York Times, 17 May 2026
The Packers won their fourth Super Bowl, and Rodgers earned two of his four MVPs with McCarthy calling the plays.
—Will Graves, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2026
Several Evans defensive players had big plays in the shutout of Jesuit.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 May 2026
Turns out the modern family compound—once mainly associated with dynasties, succession battles and the occasional Kennedy—is becoming one of real estate’s more strategic plays.
—Natalie Hoberman, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Royals relievers Daniel Lynch IV and Nick Mears worked around traffic, aided by some quality defensive plays.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 16 May 2026
Though disappointed with Microsoft's latest fiscal third-quarter report, Jim is confident that Microsoft has the resources needed to get ahead despite the recent rotation out of the stock into hotter AI plays.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 15 May 2026
Saudi forward Saeed Al-Owairan’s solo goal against Belgium at the 1994 World Cup is considered one of the tournament’s historic plays.
—Tushaar Kuthiala, Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 May 2026
Those kind of plays have the Wild coaches praising Hartman for his maturity, in not taking the bait and retaliating with an act that might mean another lengthy suspension.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 9 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
-
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
-
But there is a point where the prediction shapes and manipulates the actual outcome.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While this puts a literal damper on vacation plans, locals celebrate this time of year, as it is needed for keeping the lush foliage and crops at their best.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 May 2026
-
And there’s a gallery on site gallery called Secret Gallery, which puts emphasis on indigenous artists and local artists.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
And while crime dramas tend to incorporate a bevy of clues that investigators (and viewers) must try to piece together with the aid of cutting-edge technology, in the Guthrie case, like so many other missing persons investigations, the clues just don’t exist.—
Josh Campbell,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
-
Peretti said that the the digital company is planning significant changes under new management including cost reductions and, with the cash infusion, setting up BuzzFeed Studios to pursue vertical micro-dramas, animation, digital video and feature films.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Charlotte office renovations and conversions Post-COVID, office towers have to either entice people to come back to the cubicle or change uses.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
15 May 2026
-
On top of that, newer LLMs will likely improve in medical uses—Wachter suggests that some models might eventually undergo board certification, as actual physicians do.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plays. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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