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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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

There is no doubt the quality of players that managers have available plays a massive part in how expressive their style becomes but as ideas go, Luis Enrique’s use of his wide players last season definitely set PSG apart. — Art De Roché, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Propulsion capacity grows The PAC-3 MSE’s propulsion system plays a critical role during an engagement. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026 These moments of hormonal upheaval are linked to a rewiring of neural networks and reductions in the volume of the brain’s outer, wrinkly layer—called cortical gray matter—which plays a role in memory, reasoning and movement. — Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026 In the winter, the two play on the varsity soccer team (Hedricks plays forward; Streatfeild left back) under the guidance of Hedricks’ father George, who is also the head baseball coach. — Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Michael Biehn also plays a G-man who keeps tabs on Kammler’s work. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 Sabally’s younger sister Nyara, who plays for the Toronto Tempo, is yet to make her comeback from a calf injury, while Liberty’s Leonie Fiebich, another key player, is just back from a foot injury. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 Tointon will star as Maggie, Winstone’s onscreen daughter, while Maltman will play her partner, Gavin, and Keene will star as the mysterious Ana, while Glen plays a pal from Razor’s younger days. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026 It's well understood that UGC plays a major role in product discovery and purchase decisions. — Zoe Huang, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Noun

The Eagles are shifting away from their usual vertical, power run-blocking schemes to a wide-zone blocking scheme, while making plays less predictable by making run and pass plays look similar. — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Instead, first-year offensive coordinator Davis Webb will call plays for a Denver Broncos team that reached the AFC title game. — Arkansas Online, 8 Sep. 2026 The Rattlers moved the ball 62 yards on 14 plays and ended with an Emilio Bacardi field goal to give FAMU a 3-0 lead. — Miami Herald, 7 Sep. 2026 The initial pressure on both plays came from the interior, where defensive tackle Jide Abasiri was totally unblockable most of the night. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026 Players for both teams were seen slipping and sliding while trying to make their plays. — Doha Madani, NBC news, 7 Sep. 2026 The Green Bay Packers quarterback called plays during the second half of the team's preseason finale. — Jim Reineking, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 Simon and Marion flashed this summer but ultimately didn't make enough plays. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Snap counts in the final preseason game are typically pretty indicative of a team’s positioning with a player, and Williams saw the field on 41 plays in the finale on Friday against the New Orleans Saints. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays

Verb

At the Emmys, Mariska Hargitay recreates Nicole Kidman’s legendary AMC commercial.

— Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
Just as Grossman had to reconstruct the camp at Treblinka after attempts to erase it, so Littell methodically — at times forensically, through interviews with pathologists, survivors and grave diggers — recreates the killings in Bucha.

— Nick Holdstock, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of recreates

Verb

Trump routinely mocks Newsom and refers to the governor using a derogatory nickname, while Newsom taunts the president with frequent social media posts.

— Darlene Superville, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
By and large, the General Assembly mocks his policy proposals and ignores his leadership.

— Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2026

Definition of mocks

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

Definition of idles

Verb

In an interview with the Shade Room last year, Knight’s son, Shanga Hankerson, claimed McDowell pushed the singer into performing and manipulates her.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
An anxiety ring is a piece of jewelry with a spinning band, bead or textured surface that the wearer manipulates with their fingers as a discreet grounding tool.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of manipulates

Verb

Having receiver Cam Coleman opposite Ryan Wingo puts opposing secondaries between a rock and a hard place, because double-teaming one can result in the other going off.

— The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
That puts the network front and center, and it must be engineered as a first-class part of the architecture, rather than ordered last.

— Ido Susan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of puts

Noun

This is a strategy Fox has been increasingly employing for its dramas, greenlighting Best Medicine with Josh Charles attached to star and Memory of a Killer with Patrick Dempsey in final negotiations for the title role.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026
Like other death row dramas including Clemency, Just Mercy and Dead Man Walking, this film questions whether there’s really that big a difference between murderous cruelty and state-sanctioned capital punishment.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of dramas

Noun

At that point, the cost and structure of risk transfer may warrant the same financial analysis leadership applies to debt, capital expenditures and other major cash uses.

— Randy Sadler, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Quieter, more humanistic uses of machine learning or LLM technology must now contend with a public whose idea of AI has been shaped by the loudest, maximalist voices.

— James Folta, Literary Hub, 14 Sep. 2026