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play verb [ pleɪ ]

• engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.
• "the children were playing by a pool"
Similar: amuse oneself, entertain oneself, enjoy oneself, have fun, have a good time, relax, rest, be at leisure, occupy oneself, divert oneself, play games, frolic, frisk, gambol, romp, cavort, caper, mess about, mess around, lark (about), lark (around), sport, disport oneself,
• take part in (a sport).
• "I play squash and badminton"
Similar: take part in, participate in, engage in, be involved in, join in, compete in, do,
• be cooperative.
• "he needs financial backing, but the building societies won't play"
• represent (a character) in a theatrical performance or a film.
• "early in her career she played Ophelia"
Similar: act the part of, play the part of, act, take the role of, enact, represent, perform, appear as, portray, depict, impersonate, pretend to be, execute, render, interpret, personate,
• perform on (a musical instrument).
• "a man was playing a guitar"
• move lightly and quickly, so as to appear and disappear; flicker.
• "little beams of light played over the sea"
Similar: move lightly, dance, flit, dart, ripple, lick, touch,
• allow (a fish) to exhaust itself pulling against a line before reeling it in.
• "no fisherman ever played a bonita more carefully or with greater wile"

play noun

• activity engaged in for enjoyment and recreation, especially by children.
• "a child at play may use a stick as an aeroplane"
Similar: amusement, entertainment, relaxation, recreation, enjoyment, pleasure, diversion, distraction, leisure, fun, games, fun and games, playfulness, horseplay, skylarking, larks, a good time, jollification, junketing, merrymaking, revelry, living it up, sport,
Opposite: work,
• the conducting of a sporting match.
• "rain wrecked the second day's play"
• a dramatic work for the stage or to be broadcast.
• "the actors put on a new play"
Similar: drama, stage play, stage show, theatrical work, theatrical piece, radio play, television play, teleplay, screenplay, comedy, tragedy, farce, sketch, production, performance, spectacle, show,
• the space in or through which a mechanism can or does move.
• "the steering rack was loose, and there was a little play"
Similar: movement, freedom of movement, free motion, slack, give, room to manoeuvre, room to operate, scope, latitude, elbow room, space, margin,
• light and constantly changing movement.
• "the artist exploits the play of light across the surface"
Origin: Old English pleg(i)an ‘to exercise’, plega ‘brisk movement’, related to Middle Dutch pleien ‘leap for joy, dance’.

bring into play

• cause (something) to start working so that one can make use of it.
"he cannot afford to bring into play the kind of leadership veto that operated all those years ago"

come into play

• becoming active, operative, or effective.
"luck comes into play"

make a play for

• attempt to attract or attain.
"we invited men to make a play for the award"

make great play of

• draw attention to in an ostentatious manner, typically to gain prestige or advantage.
"the company made great play of their recent growth in profits"

make play with

• treat frivolously.
"leaders should not make play with values and ideals"

play a hunch

• make an instinctive choice.
"it had only been a shot in the dark—playing a hunch, really"

play a part

• make a contribution to a situation.
"social and economic factors may have also played a part"

play a trick on

• behave in a deceptive or teasing way towards.
"she played a trick on me by not telling me what to expect"

play both ends against the middle

• keep one's options open by supporting or favouring opposing sides.

play by one's own rules

• act as one chooses, rather than following convention.
"a maverick cop who plays by his own rules"

play by the rules

• follow what is generally held to be the correct line of behaviour.
"businesses have a chance to stand out if they refuse to play by the rules"

play fair

• observe principles of justice; avoid cheating.
"he decided to play fair and own up"

play fast and loose

• behave irresponsibly or immorally.
"I am not someone who plays fast and loose with other people's lives"

play favourites

• show favouritism towards someone or something.
"I think the publisher is just playing favourites and I'm very offended"

play for time

• use specious excuses or unnecessary manoeuvres to gain time.
"he played for time by establishing an advisory committee"

play into someone's hands

• act in such a way as unintentionally to give someone an advantage.
"they accused him of playing into the hands of the enemy"

play it cool

• make an effort to be or appear to be calm and unemotional.
"the band wanted the deal badly, but were determined to play it cool"

play it safe

• take precautions; avoid risks.
"I think we'll play it safe and get another set of X-rays done"

play it straight

• act or perform seriously, without excessive embellishment or affectation.
"she played it straight with the intent of presenting a believable character"

a play on words

• a pun.
"every page contains a subtle play on words or arresting metaphor"

play oneself in

• become accustomed to the circumstances and conditions of a game or activity.
"once he had played himself in he was an excellent stroke-maker"

play someone false

• deceive or cheat someone.
"the Assembly played us false"

play something by ear

• perform music without having to read from a score.
"she could play both by ear and by reading"

play the market

• speculate in stocks.
"these investors know how to play the market and win"

play with fire

• take foolish risks.
"an urge to play with fire made her provoke him"

play along

• pretend to cooperate.
"she had to play along and be polite"

play around

• behave in a casual, foolish, or irresponsible way.
"you shouldn't play around with a child's future"

play at

• engage in something without proper seriousness or understanding.
"it would be wrong to assume that he is simply playing at politics"

play away

• play a sports fixture on an opponent's ground.
"playing away is always a bit more difficult"

play back

• play music or sounds that one has recently recorded, especially to monitor recording quality.
"I did a lot of recording and then played it back"

play down

• represent something as being less important than it in fact is.
"he tried to play down the seriousness of his illness"

play for

• treat someone as being of a specified type.
"don't imagine you can play me for a fool"

play off

• (of two teams or competitors) play an extra game or match to decide a draw or tie.
"the runners-up will play off against each other"

play on

• exploit a weak or vulnerable point in someone.
"he played on his opponent's nerves"

play out

• develop in a particular way.
"the position of the sub-tropical jet stream across North America will determine how winter plays out"

play up

• emphasize or exaggerate the extent or importance of something.
"the mystery surrounding his death was played up by the media"

play up to

• exploit, trade on, or make the most of something.
"the actors clearly have fun playing up to their stereotypes"

play with

• fiddle or tamper with something.
"has somebody been playing with these taps?"

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