What does play mean?

What does play mean?. The world's largest and most trusted free online dictionary: definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more.

What does play mean? - The Free Dictionary

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[n] a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage(he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway)[v] participate in games or sport(We played hockey all afternoon play cards Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches)[n] a theatrical performa

play

play - The Free Dictionary

[n] a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
(he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway)

[v] participate in games or sport
(We played hockey all afternoon play cards Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches)

[n] a theatrical performance of a drama
(the play lasted two hours)

[v] act or have an effect in a specified way or with a specific effect or outcome
(This factor played only a minor part in his decision This development played into her hands I played no role in your dismissal)

[n] a preset plan of action in team sports
(the coach drew up the plays for her team)

[v] play on an instrument
(The band played all night long)

[n] a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill
(he made a great maneuver the runner was out on a play by the shortstop)

[v] play a role or part
(Gielgud played Hamlet She wants to act Lady Macbeth, but she is too young for the role She played the servant to her husband's master)

[n] a state in which action is feasible
(the ball was still in play insiders said the company's stock was in play)

[v] be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children
(The kids were playing outside all day I used to play with trucks as a little girl)

[n] utilization or exercise
(the play of the imagination)

[v] replay (as a melody)
(Play it again, Sam She played the third movement very beautifully)

[n] an attempt to get something
(they made a futile play for power he made a bid to gain attention)

[v] perform music on (a musical instrument)
(He plays the flute Can you play on this old recorder?)

[n] activity by children that is guided more by imagination than by fixed rules
(Freud believed in the utility of play to a small child)

[v] pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind
(He acted the idiot She plays deaf when the news are bad)

[n] (in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds
(rain stopped play in the 4th inning)

[v] move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly
(The spotlights played on the politicians)

[n] the removal of constraints
(he gave free rein to his impulses they gave full play to the artist's talent)

[v] bet or wager (money)
(He played $20 on the new horse She plays the races)

[n] a weak and tremulous light
(the shimmer of colors on iridescent feathers the play of light on the water)

[v] engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion
(On weekends I play The students all recreate alike)

[n] verbal wit or mockery (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously)
(he became a figure of fun he said it in sport)

[v] pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity
(Let's play like I am mommy Play cowboy and Indians)

[n] movement or space for movement
(there was too much play in the steering wheel)

[v] emit recorded sound
(The tape was playing for hours the stereo was playing Beethoven when I entered)

[n] gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement
(it was all done in play their frolic in the surf threatened to become ugly)

[v] perform on a certain location
(The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16 She has been playing on Broadway for years)

[n] (game) the activity of doing something in an agreed succession
(it is my turn it is still my play)

[v] put (a card or piece) into play during a game, or act strategically as if in a card game
(He is playing his cards close to his chest The Democrats still have some cards to play before they will concede the electoral victory)

[n] the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize)
(his gambling cost him a fortune there was heavy play at the blackjack table)

[v] engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously
(They played games on their opponents play the stock market play with her feelings toy with an idea)

[n] the act using a sword (or other weapon) vigorously and skillfully

[v] behave in a certain way
(play safe play it safe play fair)

[v] cause to emit recorded audio or video
(They ran the tapes over and over again I'll play you my favorite record He never tires of playing that video)

[v] manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination
(She played nervously with her wedding ring Don't fiddle with the screws He played with the idea of running for the Senate)

[v] use to one's advantage
(She plays on her clients' emotions)

[v] consider not very seriously
(He is trifling with her She plays with the thought of moving to Tasmania)

[v] be received or accepted or interpreted in a specific way
(This speech didn't play well with the American public His remarks played to the suspicions of the committee)

[v] behave carelessly or indifferently
(Play about with a young girl's affection)

[v] cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space
(The engine has a wheel that is playing in a rack)

[v] perform on a stage or theater
(She acts in this play He acted in `Julius Caesar' I played in `A Christmas Carol')

[v] be performed or presented for public viewing
(What's playing in the local movie theater? `Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years)

[v] cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
(I cannot work a miracle wreak havoc bring comments play a joke The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area)

[v] discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream
(play water from a hose The fountains played all day)

[v] make bets
(Play the races play the casinos in Trouville)

[v] stake on the outcome of an issue
(I bet $100 on that new horse She played all her money on the dark horse)

[v] shoot or hit in a particular manner
(She played a good backhand last night)

[v] use or move
(I had to play my queen)

[v] employ in a game or in a specific position
(They played him on first base)

[v] contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle
(Princeton plays Yale this weekend Charlie likes to play Mary)

[v] exhaust by allowing to pull on the line
(play a hooked fish)

Other vocabulary

p, p-n junction, p-n-p transistor, p-type semiconductor, p. g. wodehouse, p. p. von mauser, p. t. barnum, p.a., p.a. system, p.e., p.m., p.o., p/e ratio, pa, pa system, pa'anga, paba, pabir, pablo casals, pablo neruda, pablo picasso, pablum, pabulum, pac, pac-man strategy, paca, pace, pace car, pace lap, pacemaker, l, l'aquila, l'enfant, l-dopa, l-p, l-plate, l-shaped, l. m. montgomery, l. monocytogenes, l. ron hubbard, l. s. lowry, la, la crosse, la fayette, la fontaine, la paz, la plata, la rochefoucauld, la spezia, la tour, la-di-da, laager, lab, lab bench, lab coat, laban, labanotation, labdanum, label, labeled

Dictionary

A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by consonantal root for Semitic languages or radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies, pronunciations, translation, etc. It is a lexicographical reference that shows inter-relationships among the data.

A broad distinction is made between general and specialized dictionaries. Specialized dictionaries include words in specialist fields, rather than a complete range of words in the language. Lexical items that describe concepts in specific fields are usually called terms instead of words, although there is no consensus whether lexicology and terminology are two different fields of study. In theory, general dictionaries are supposed[citation needed] to be semasiological, mapping word to definition, while specialized dictionaries are supposed to be onomasiological, first identifying concepts and then establishing the terms used to designate them. In practice, the two approaches are used for both types. There are other types of dictionaries that do not fit neatly into the above distinction, for instance bilingual (translation) dictionaries, dictionaries of synonyms (thesauri), and rhyming dictionaries. The word dictionary (unqualified) is usually understood to refer to a general purpose monolingual dictionary.

There is also a contrast between prescriptive or descriptive dictionaries; the former reflect what is seen as correct use of the language while the latter reflect recorded actual use. Stylistic indications (e.g. "informal" or "vulgar") in many modern dictionaries are also considered by some to be less than objectively descriptive.

The first recorded dictionaries date back to Sumerian times around 2300 BCE, in the form of bilingual dictionaries, and the oldest surviving monolingual dictionaries are Chinese dictionaries c. 3rd century BCE. The first purely English alphabetical dictionary was A Table Alphabeticall, written in 1604, and monolingual dictionaries in other languages also began appearing in Europe at around this time. The systematic study of dictionaries as objects of scientific interest arose as a 20th-century enterprise, called lexicography, and largely initiated by Ladislav Zgusta. The birth of the new discipline was not without controversy, with the practical dictionary-makers being sometimes accused by others of having an "astonishing" lack of method and critical-self reflection.