• Noun: a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage; example: "he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway"
• Noun: a theatrical performance of a drama; example: "the play lasted two hours"
• Noun: a preset plan of action in team sports; example: "the coach drew up the plays for her team"
• Noun: a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill; examples: "he made a great maneuver", "the runner was out on a play by the shortstop"
• Noun: a state in which action is feasible; examples: "the ball was still in play", "insiders said the company's stock was in play"
• Noun: utilization or exercise; example: "the play of the imagination"
• Noun: an attempt to get something; examples: "they made a futile play for power", "he made a bid to gain attention"
• Noun: activity by children that is guided more by imagination than by fixed rules; example: "Freud believed in the utility of play to a small child"
• Noun: (in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds; example: "rain stopped play in the 4th inning"
• Noun: the removal of constraints; examples: "he gave free rein to his impulses", "they gave full play to the artist's talent"
• Noun: a weak and tremulous light; examples: "the shimmer of colors on iridescent feathers", "the play of light on the water"
• Noun: verbal wit or mockery (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously); examples: "he became a figure of fun", "he said it in sport"
• Noun: movement or space for movement; example: "there was too much play in the steering wheel"
• Noun: gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement; examples: "it was all done in play", "their frolic in the surf threatened to become ugly"
• Noun: (game) the activity of doing something in an agreed succession; examples: "it is my turn", "it is still my play"
• Noun: the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize); examples: "his gambling cost him a fortune", "there was heavy play at the blackjack table"
• Noun: the act using a sword (or other weapon) vigorously and skillfully
• Verb: participate in games or sport; examples: "We played hockey all afternoon", "play cards", "Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches"
• Verb: act or have an effect in a specified way or with a specific effect or outcome; examples: "This factor played only a minor part in his decision", "This development played into her hands", "I played no role in your dismissal"
• Verb: play on an instrument; example: "The band played all night long"
• Verb: play a role or part; examples: "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"
• Verb: be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children; examples: "The kids were playing outside all day", "I used to play with trucks as a little girl"
• Verb: replay (as a melody); examples: "Play it again, Sam", "She played the third movement very beautifully"
• Verb: perform music on (a musical instrument); examples: "He plays the flute", "Can you play on this old recorder?"
• Verb: pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind; examples: "He acted the idiot", "She plays deaf when the news are bad"
• Verb: move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly; example: "The spotlights played on the politicians"
• Verb: bet or wager (money); examples: "He played $20 on the new horse", "She plays the races"
• Verb: engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion; examples: "On weekends I play", "The students all recreate alike"
• Verb: pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity; examples: "Let's play like I am mommy", "Play cowboy and Indians"
• Verb: emit recorded sound; examples: "The tape was playing for hours", "the stereo was playing Beethoven when I entered"
• Verb: perform on a certain location; examples: "The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16", "She has been playing on Broadway for years"
• Verb: put (a card or piece) into play during a game, or act strategically as if in a card game; examples: "He is playing his cards close to his chest", "The Democrats still have some cards to play before they will concede the electoral victory"
• Verb: engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously; examples: "They played games on their opponents", "play the stock market", "play with her feelings", "toy with an idea"
• Verb: behave in a certain way; examples: "play safe", "play it safe", "play fair"
• Verb: cause to emit recorded sounds; examples: "They ran the tapes over and over again", "Can you play my favorite record?"
• Verb: manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination; examples: "She played nervously with her wedding ring", "Don't fiddle with the screws", "He played with the idea of running for the Senate"
• Verb: use to one's advantage; example: "She plays on her clients' emotions"
• Verb: consider not very seriously; examples: "He is trifling with her", "She plays with the thought of moving to Tasmania"
• Verb: be received or accepted or interpreted in a specific way; examples: "This speech didn't play well with the American public", "His remarks played to the suspicions of the committee"
• Verb: behave carelessly or indifferently; example: "Play about with a young girl's affection"
• Verb: cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space; example: "The engine has a wheel that is playing in a rack"
• Verb: perform on a stage or theater; examples: "She acts in this play", "He acted in `Julius Caesar'", "I played in `A Christmas Carol'"
• Verb: be performed; examples: "What's playing in the local movie theater?", "`Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years"
• Verb: cause to happen or to occur as a consequence; examples: "I cannot work a miracle", "wreak havoc", "bring comments", "play a joke", "The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area"
• Verb: discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream; examples: "play water from a hose", "The fountains played all day"
• Verb: make bets; examples: "Play the races", "play the casinos in Trouville"
• Verb: stake on the outcome of an issue; examples: "I bet $100 on that new horse", "She played all her money on the dark horse"
• Verb: shoot or hit in a particular manner; example: "She played a good backhand last night"
• Verb: use or move; example: "I had to play my queen"
• Verb: employ in a game or in a specific position; example: "They played him on first base"
• Verb: contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle; examples: "Princeton plays Yale this weekend", "Charlie likes to play Mary"
• Verb: exhaust by allowing to pull on the line; example: "play a hooked fish"
