play in WordNet English dictionary

1. pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind
   "He acted the idiot"; "She plays deaf when the news are bad"
   act  play  act as 
   
2. 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"
   act  play  represent 
   
3. perform on a stage or theater
   "She acts in this play"; "He acted in `Julius Caesar'"; "I played in `A Christmas Carol'"
   act  play  roleplay  playact 
   
4. stake on the outcome of an issue
   "I bet $100 on that new horse"; "She played all her money on the dark horse"
   bet  wager  play 
   
5. 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"
   bring  work  play  wreak  make for 
   
6. consider not very seriously
   "He is trifling with her"; "She plays with the thought of moving to Tasmania"
   dally  trifle  play 
   
7. behave carelessly or indifferently
   "Play about with a young girl's affection"
   dally  toy  play  flirt 
   
8. 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"
   toy  fiddle  diddle  play 
   
9. contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle
   "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"; "Charlie likes to play Mary"
   meet  encounter  play  take on 
   
10. 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"
    play  toy 
    
11. exhaust by allowing to pull on the line
    "play a hooked fish"
    play 
    
12. participate in games or sport
    "We played hockey all afternoon"; "play cards"; "Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches"
    play 
    
13. bet or wager (money)
    "He played $20 on the new horse"; "She plays the races"
    play 
    
14. 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"
    play 
    
15. make bets
    "Play the races"; "play the casinos in Trouville"
    play 
    
16. shoot or hit in a particular manner
    "She played a good backhand last night"
    play 
    
17. employ in a game or in a specific position
    "They played him on first base"
    play 
    
18. use or move
    "I had to play my queen"
    play 
    
19. use to one's advantage
    "She plays on her clients' emotions"
    play 
    
20. discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream
    "play water from a hose"; "The fountains played all day"
    play 
    
21. replay (as a melody)
    "Play it again, Sam"; "She played the third movement very beautifully"
    play  spiel 
    
22. perform music on (a musical instrument)
    "He plays the flute"; "Can you play on this old recorder?"
    play 
    
23. perform on a certain location
    "The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16"; "She has been playing on Broadway for years"
    play 
    
24. be performed or presented for public viewing
    "What's playing in the local movie theater?"; "`Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years"
    play 
    
25. 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"
    play  run 
    
26. pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity
    "Let's play like I am mommy"; "Play cowboy and Indians"
    play 
    
27. emit recorded sound
    "The tape was playing for hours"; "the stereo was playing Beethoven when I entered"
    play 
    
28. play on an instrument
    "The band played all night long"
    play 
    
29. move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly
    "The spotlights played on the politicians"
    play 
    
30. cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space
    "The engine has a wheel that is playing in a rack"
    play 
    
31. engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion
    "On weekends I play"; "The students all recreate alike"
    play  recreate 
    
32. behave in a certain way
    "play safe"; "play it safe"; "play fair"
    play 
    
33. 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"
    play 
    
34. 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"
    play 
    
35. 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"
    play 
    

1. an attempt to get something
   "they made a futile play for power"; "he made a bid to gain attention"
   bid  play 
   
2. 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"
   play  frolic  romp  gambol  caper 
   
3. a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
   "he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway"
   play  drama  dramatic play 
   
4. the removal of constraints
   "he gave free rein to his impulses"; "they gave full play to the artist's talent"
   free rein  play 
   
5. 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"
   fun  play  sport 
   
6. 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"
   gambling  gaming  play 
   
7. movement or space for movement
   "there was too much play in the steering wheel"
   looseness  play 
   
8. a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill
   "he made a great maneuver"; "the runner was out on a play by the shortstop"
   maneuver  manoeuvre  play 
   
9. (in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds
   "rain stopped play in the 4th inning"
   playing period  period of play  play 
   
10. (game) the activity of doing something in an agreed succession
    "it is my turn"; "it is still my play"
    turn  play 
    
11. a preset plan of action in team sports
    "the coach drew up the plays for her team"
    play 
    
12. the act using a sword (or other weapon) vigorously and skillfully
    play  swordplay 
    
13. utilization or exercise
    "the play of the imagination"
    play 
    
14. a theatrical performance of a drama
    "the play lasted two hours"
    play 
    
15. a weak and tremulous light
    "the shimmer of colors on iridescent feathers"; "the play of light on the water"
    shimmer  play 
    
16. a state in which action is feasible
    "the ball was still in play"; "insiders said the company's stock was in play"
    play