Overview of noun playing

The noun playing has 3 senses

• playing -- (the act of playing a musical instrument)


• playing -- (the action of taking part in a game or sport or other recreation)


• acting, playing, playacting, performing -- (the performance of a part or role in a drama)

Overview of verb play

The verb play has 35 senses

• play -- (participate in games or sport; "We played hockey all afternoon"; "play cards"; "Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches")


• play -- (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 -- (play on an instrument; "The band played all night long")


• act, play, represent -- (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")


• play -- (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, spiel -- (replay (as a melody); "Play it again, Sam"; "She played the third movement very beautifully")


• play -- (perform music on (a musical instrument); "He plays the flute"; "Can you play on this old recorder?")


• act, play, act as -- (pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind; "He acted the idiot"; "She plays deaf when the news are bad")


• play -- (move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly; "The spotlights played on the politicians")


• play -- (bet or wager (money); "He played $20 on the new horse"; "She plays the races")


• play, recreate -- (engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion; "On weekends I play"; "The students all recreate alike")


• play -- (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 -- (emit recorded sound; "The tape was playing for hours"; "the stereo was playing Beethoven when I entered")


• play -- (perform on a certain location; "The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16"; "She has been playing on Broadway for years")


• play -- (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, toy -- (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 -- (behave in a certain way; "play safe"; "play it safe"; "play fair")


• play, run -- (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")


• toy, fiddle, diddle, play -- (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")


• play -- (use to one's advantage; "She plays on her clients' emotions")


• dally, trifle, play -- (consider not very seriously; "He is trifling with her"; "She plays with the thought of moving to Tasmania")


• play -- (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")


• dally, toy, play, flirt -- (behave carelessly or indifferently; "Play about with a young girl's affection")


• play -- (cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space; "The engine has a wheel that is playing in a rack")


• act, play, roleplay, playact -- (perform on a stage or theater; "She acts in this play"; "He acted in `Julius Caesar'"; "I played in `A Christmas Carol'")


• play -- (be performed or presented for public viewing; "What's playing in the local movie theater?"; "`Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years")


• bring, work, play, wreak, make for -- (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")


• play -- (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 -- (make bets; "Play the races"; "play the casinos in Trouville")


• bet, wager, play -- (stake on the outcome of an issue; "I bet $100 on that new horse"; "She played all her money on the dark horse")


• play -- (shoot or hit in a particular manner; "She played a good backhand last night")


• play -- (use or move; "I had to play my queen")


• play -- (employ in a game or in a specific position; "They played him on first base")


• meet, encounter, play, take on -- (contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle; "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"; "Charlie likes to play Mary")


• play -- (exhaust by allowing to pull on the line; "play a hooked fish")