Word: play Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *plehan Old English pleġan Proto-West Germanic *plegō Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-West Germanic *-ōn Proto-West Germanic *plegōn Old English plegian Middle English pleyen Proto-West Germanic *plegō Old English plega Middle English pleye English play From Middle English pleyen (verb) and Middle English pleye (noun), from Old English plegian and plegan, plagian (“to play, exercise, etc.”), from Proto-West Germanic *plehan (“to care about, be concerned with”) and Proto-West Germanic *plegōn (“to engage, move”), of uncertain origin. cognates and related terms Cognate with Scots play (“to act or move briskly, cause to move, stir”), Saterland Frisian pleegje (“to look after, care for, maintain”), West Frisian pleegje, pliigje (“to commit, perform, bedrive”), Middle Dutch pleyen ("to dance, leap for joy, rejoice, be glad"; compare Modern Dutch pleien (“to play a particular children's game”)), Dutch plegen (“to commit, bedrive, practice”), German pflegen (“to care for, be concerned with, attend to, tend”). Related also to Old English plēon (“to risk, endanger”). More at plight, pledge. The noun is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, plega, plæġa (“play, quick motion, movement, exercise; (athletic) sport, game; festivity, drama; battle; gear for games, an implement for a game; clapping with the hands, applause”), deverbative of plegian (“to play”); see above. Pronunciation: /pleɪ̯/ [pɫ̥eɪ̯ ~ pʰɫeɪ̯], /ple(j)/ 1. To act in a manner such that one has fun; to engage in activities expressly for the purpose of recreation or entertainment. Labels: intransitive Example: The children played in the park. Example: A youngster[…]listed some of the things his pet did not do:[…]go on vacation, play in the same way that he did with his friends, and so on. 2. To toy or trifle; to act with levity or thoughtlessness; to be careless. Labels: especially, intransitive Example: Don't play with your food! Example: He's just playing with her affections. 3. To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game). Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: He plays on three teams. Example: Who's playing now? 4. To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game). Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: He plays left back for Mudchester Rovers 5. To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game). Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: We're playing one of the top teams in the next round. Example: England will not be catapulted among the favourites for Euro 2012 as a result of this win, but no victory against Spain is earned easily and it is right they take great heart from their efforts as they now prepare to play Sweden at Wembley on Tuesday. 6. To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game). Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: Look at the score now ... 23 plays 8! 7. To contend or fight using weapons, both as practice or in real life-or-death combats; to engage in martial games; to joust; to fence Labels: intransitive 8. To act or behave in a stated way. Labels: copulative, intransitive Example: to play safe, to play fair, to play dirty Example: His mother played false with a smith. 9. To act or behave in a stated way. Labels: copulative, intransitive Example: He plays dumb, but actually he's very clever. Example: Don't play the innocent with us. 10. To act as (the indicated role). Labels: transitive Example: Stop playing the fool. Example: No part of the brain plays the role of permanent memory. 11. To act as (the indicated role). Labels: transitive Example: Who played Scarlett O'Hara in 'Gone with the Wind'? Example: Mister Friel plays Virgil to the narrator's Dante, finding him an apartment, bringing him to the right parties and offering the last word on gay New York. 12. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance. Labels: especially, intransitive, transitive Example: I'll play the piano and you sing. Example: Can you play an instrument? 13. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: This piano plays out of tune. Example: If your guitar plays well on fretted strings but annoys you on the open ones, the nut's probably worn out. 14. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: You can play the DVD now. Example: Don't play your radio so loud! 15. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance. Labels: intransitive, transitive, usually Example: Do you know how to play Für Elise on the piano? Example: We especially like to play jazz together. 16. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance. Labels: intransitive, transitive, usually Example: The juke box is playing our favourite song. Example: The radio was playing in the background. 17. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: His latest film is playing in the local theatre tomorrow. Example: Some kind of lounge music was playing in the background. 18. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance. Labels: intransitive, transitive, usually Example: The band is playing large arenas nationwide. Example: I got a hold of Louis (Satchmo) Armstrong's agent and I explained to him on the phone that, "I know you're playing London on Wednesday night. Why don't you come and play the Arena in Windsor on Saturday night?" 19. To produce sound (especially music), moving pictures, or theatrical performance. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: to play a comedy 20. To move briskly, sweepingly, back and forth, in a directed manner, etc. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: The fountain plays. Example: The leaves played in the wind. 21. To move briskly, sweepingly, back and forth, in a directed manner, etc. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: The torch beam played around the room. Example: They played the jet of water onto the seat of the fire. 22. To move briskly, sweepingly, back and forth, in a directed manner, etc. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: the waving sedges play with wind Example: The heart beats, the blood circulates, the lungs play. 23. To bring into action or motion; to exhibit in action; to execute or deploy. Labels: transitive Example: That was a great shot he played! Example: He played the blue ball, but the green would have been a better choice. 24. To handle or deal with (a matter or situation) in a stated way. Labels: transitive Example: The bank robbers have three hostages inside, so we're going to have to play this very carefully. 25. To handle or deal with (something) in a calculating manner intended to achieve profit or gain. Labels: transitive Example: He made a fortune on Wall Street, playing the markets. Example: In this business you have to play the percentages. 26. To be received or accepted (in a given way); to go down. Labels: intransitive Example: This policy plays well with younger voters. Example: How will this play in the swing states? 27. To gamble. Example: “I play, comparatively, very little; I don't drink a fifth part so much as half the people I live with; and I reckon myself, upon the whole, a very orderly, sober fellow.” 28. To keep in play, as a hooked fish in order to land it. Labels: transitive 29. To manipulate, deceive, or swindle. Labels: colloquial, transitive Example: You played me! Example: If this our song, you're the composer / I'm not a game, but you play me anyway 30. To kid; to joke; to say something for amusement; to act, or to treat something, unseriously. Labels: intransitive Example: They don't play with the rules around here. Example: He grew serious. “Sorry, E.M. Just fucking around.” “Well, I don’t play like that and you know it.” 31. To take part in amorous activity; to make love; see also play around. Labels: intransitive Example: Her proper face / I not descerned in that darkesome shade, / But weend it was my loue, with whom he playd. Example: Cheree, Cheree / Je t'adore, baby / I love you / Oh, come play with me 32. For additional senses in various idiomatic phrases, see the individual entries, such as play along, play at, play down, play off, play on, play out, play to, play up, etc.