play

/pleɪ/
verb
  1. To engage in an activity for enjoyment or recreation.
    • My dog likes to play fetch with a tennis ball.
    • We played board games all evening because it was raining.
    • The children love to play in the park after school.
  2. To take part in a game or sport.
    • He played chess against the computer and won.
    • They are playing basketball in the driveway right now.
    • She plays soccer every Saturday with her team.
  3. To perform music on an instrument.
    • He has been playing the violin since he was six years old.
    • My brother plays the guitar in a band.
    • She played a beautiful song on the piano.
  4. To act in a theatrical performance or film.
    • He played a detective in that popular TV series.
    • She played the role of Juliet in the school play.
    • The actor played the villain so well that everyone hated him.
  5. To cause audio or video to be heard or seen on a device.
    • The movie is playing on channel five tonight.
    • Can you play that song again? I love it.
    • I played the video for my friends to show them my vacation.
Antonyms
noun
  1. An activity done for enjoyment or recreation.
    • Play is essential for a child's development.
    • The children were deep in play with their building blocks.
    • All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
  2. A dramatic work written for the theater.
    • She wrote a play about her family's history.
    • We went to see a play by Shakespeare at the local theater.
    • The school performed a play based on a famous fairy tale.
  3. The action or manner of playing a game or sport.
    • That was a brilliant play by the quarterback.
    • The team's defensive play was outstanding today.
    • The referee stopped play because of a foul.
  4. The operation or functioning of a device, especially the starting of a recording.
    • I put the CD in and hit play.
    • Press the button to start play on the DVD.
    • The song is ready for play on the streaming service.
Antonyms