play
vb
1 to occupy oneself in (a sport or diversion); amuse oneself in (a game)
2 tr to contend against (an opponent) in a sport or game
Ed played Tony at chess and lost
3 to fulfil or cause to fulfil (a particular role) in a team game
he plays defence, he plays in the defence
4 tr to address oneself to (a ball) in a game
play the ball not the man
5 intr; often foll by: about or around to behave carelessly, esp. in a way that is unconsciously cruel or hurtful; trifle or dally (with)
to play about with a young girl's affections
6 when intr, often foll by: at to perform or act the part (of) in or as in a dramatic production; assume or simulate the role (of)
to play the villain, just what are you playing at?
7 to act out or perform (a dramatic production)
8 to give a performance in (a place) or (of a performance) to be given in a place
9 to have the ability to perform on (a musical instrument)
David plays the harp
10 to perform (on a musical instrument) as specified
he plays out of tune
a to reproduce (a tune, melody, piece of music, note, etc.) on an instrument
b to perform works by (a specific composer)
to play Brahms
12 to discharge or cause to discharge
he played the water from the hose onto the garden
13 to operate, esp. to cause (a record player, radio, etc.) to emit sound or (of a record player, radio, etc.) to emit (sound)
he played a record, the radio was playing loudly
14 to move or cause to move freely, quickly, or irregularly
lights played on the scenery
15 tr (Stock Exchange) to speculate or operate aggressively for gain in (a market)
16 tr (Angling) to attempt to tire (a hooked fish) by alternately letting out and reeling in line and by using the rod's flexibility
17 to put (a card, counter, piece, etc.) into play
18 to gamble (money) on a game
19 ♦
play ball
Informal to cooperate
20 ♦
play fair (or false) often foll by: with to prove oneself fair (or unfair) in one's dealings
21 ♦
play by ear See →
ear 1 →
19
22 ♦
play for time to delay the outcome of some activity so as to gain time to one's own advantage
23 ♦
play into the hands of to act directly to the advantage of (an opponent)
24 ♦
play the fool See →
fool 1 →
7
25 ♦
play the game See →
game 1 →
22
n
26 a dramatic composition written for performance by actors on a stage, on television, etc.; drama
a the performance of a dramatic composition
b (in combination)
playreader
a games, exercise, or other activity undertaken for pleasure, diversion, etc., esp. by children
b (in combination)
playroom
c (as modifier)
play dough
29 manner of action, conduct, or playing
fair play
30 the playing or conduct of a game or the period during which a game is in progress
rain stopped play
31 (U.S. and Canadian) a move or manoeuvre in a game
a brilliant play
32 the situation of a ball that is within the defined area and being played according to the rules (in the phrases in play, out of play)
33 a turn to play
it's my play
34 the act of playing for stakes; gambling
35 action, activity, or operation
the play of the imagination
36 freedom of or scope or space for movement
too much play in the rope
37 light, free, or rapidly shifting motion
the play of light on the water
38 fun, jest, or joking
I only did it in play
39 ♦
make a play for
Informal
a to make an obvious attempt to gain
b to attempt to attract or seduce,
(See also)
→
play along →
playback →
play down →
play off →
play on →
play out →
play up →
play with (Old English plega (n), plegan (vb); related to Middle Dutch pleyen) ♦
playable adj
by-play
n secondary action or talking carried on apart while the main action proceeds, esp. in a play
child's play
n
Informal something that is easy to do
chronicle play
n a drama based on a historical subject
double play
n (Baseball) a play in which two runners are put out
extended-play
adj denoting an EP record
fair play
n
1 an established standard of decency, honesty, etc.
2 abidance by this standard
foul play
n
1 unfair or treacherous conduct esp. with violence
2 a violation of the rules in a game or sport
match play
n (Golf)
a scoring according to the number of holes won and lost
b (as modifier)
a matchplay tournament (Compare)
→
Stableford →
stroke play
♦
match player n
medal play
n (Golf) another name for →
stroke play
miracle play
n a medieval play based on a biblical story or the life of a saint
Compare →
mystery play
morality play
n a type of drama written between the 14th and 16th centuries concerned with the conflict between personified virtues and vices
mystery play
n (in the Middle Ages) a type of drama based on the life of Christ
Compare →
miracle play
Passion play
n a play depicting the Passion of Christ
play-act
vb
1 intr to pretend or make believe
2 intr to behave in an overdramatic or affected manner
3 to act in or as in (a play)
♦
play-acting n
♦
play-actor n
play along
vb adv
1 intr; usually foll by: with to cooperate (with), esp. as a temporary measure
2 tr to manipulate as if in a game, esp. for one's own advantage
he played the widow along until she gave him her money
play-centre
n the N.Z. name for →
playgroup
play down
vb tr, adv to make little or light of; minimize the importance of
play-lunch
n (N.Z.) a schoolchild's mid-morning snack
play off
vb adv
1 tr; usually foll by: against to deal with or manipulate as if in playing a game
to play one person off against another
2 intr to take part in a play-off
n
♦
play-off
3 (Sport) an extra contest to decide the winner when two or more competitors are tied
4 (Chiefly U.S. and Canadian) a contest or series of games to determine a championship, as between the winners of two competitions
play on
vb intr
1 adv to continue to play
2 prep (Also)
play upon to exploit or impose upon (the feelings or weakness of another) to one's own advantage
3 adv (Cricket) to hit the ball into one's own wicket
play on words
n another term for →
pun 1 →
1
play out
vb tr, adv
1 to finish
let's play the game out if we aren't too late
2 often passive
Informal to use up or exhaust
3 to release gradually
he played the rope out
play up
vb adv
1 tr to emphasize or highlight
to play up one's best features
2 (Brit)
informal to behave irritatingly (towards)
3 intr (Brit)
informal (of a machine, car, etc.) to function erratically
the car is playing up again
4 (Brit)
informal to hurt; give (one) pain or trouble
my back's playing me up again
a to support (another actor) in a performance
b to try to gain favour with by flattery
play with
vb intr, prep
1 to consider without giving deep thought to or coming to a conclusion concerning
we're playing with the idea of emigrating
2 to behave carelessly with
to play with a girl's affections
3 to fiddle or mess about with
he's just playing with his food
plug-and-play
adj (Computing) capable of detecting the addition of a new input or output device and automatically activating the appropriate control software
satyr play
n (in ancient Greek drama) a ribald play with a chorus of satyrs, presented at the Dionysian festival
shadow play
n a theatrical entertainment using shadows thrown by puppets or actors onto a lighted screen
shuffle play
n a facility on a compact disc player that randomly selects a track from one of a number of compact discs
stroke play
n (Golf)
a scoring by counting the number of strokes taken
b (as modifier)
a strokeplay tournament (Also called)
medal play Compare →
match play →
Stableford