play (plays plural & 3rd person present) (playing present participle) (played past tense & past participle )
1 verb When children, animals, or perhaps adults play, they spend time doing enjoyable things, such as using toys and taking part in games.
They played in the little garden... V
Polly was playing with her teddy bear. V with n
Play is also a noun., n-uncount
...a few hours of play until the baby-sitter takes them off to bed.
2 v-recip When you play a sport, game, or match, you take part in it.
While the twins played cards, Francis sat reading... pl-n V n
Alain was playing cards with his friends... V n with n
I used to play basketball... V n (non-recip)
I want to play for my country... V for n (non-recip)
He captained the team but he didn't actually play. V (non-recip)
Play is also a noun., n-uncount
Both sides adopted the Continental style of play.
3 verb When one person or team plays another or plays against them, they compete against them in a sport or game.
Northern Ireland will play Latvia... V n
I've played against him a few times. V against n
Play is also a noun., n-uncount
Fischer won after 5 hours and 41 minutes of play.
4 verb When you play the ball or play a shot in a game or sport, you kick or hit the ball.
Think first before playing the ball... V n
I played the ball back slightly. V n adv
5 verb If you play a joke or a trick on someone, you deceive them or give them a surprise in a way that you think is funny, but that often causes problems for them or annoys them.
Someone had played a trick on her, stretched a piece of string at the top of those steps... V n on n
I thought: `This cannot be happening, somebody must be playing a joke'. V n
6 verb If you play with an object or with your hair, you keep moving it or touching it with your fingers, perhaps because you are bored or nervous.
She stared at the floor, idly playing with the strap of her handbag. V with n
7 n-count A play is a piece of writing which is performed in a theatre, on the radio, or on television.
The company put on a play about the homeless..., It's my favourite Shakespeare play.
8 verb If an actor plays a role or character in a play or film, he or she performs the part of that character.
...Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, in which he played Hyde... V n
His ambition is to play the part of Dracula. V n
9 v-link You can use play to describe how someone behaves, when they are deliberately behaving in a certain way or like a certain type of person. For example, to play the innocent, means to pretend to be innocent, and to play deaf means to pretend not to hear something.
(=act)
Hill tried to play the peacemaker... V n
So you want to play nervous today? V adj
10 verb You can describe how someone deals with a situation by saying that they play it in a certain way. For example, if someone plays it cool, they keep calm and do not show much emotion, and if someone plays it straight, they behave in an honest and direct way.
Investors are playing it cautious, and they're playing it smart. V it adj/adv
11 verb If you play a musical instrument or play a tune on a musical instrument, or if a musical instrument plays, music is produced from it.
Nina had been playing the piano... V n
He played for me... V for n
Place your baby in her seat and play her a lullaby... V n n
The guitars played. V
12 verb If you play a record, a CD, or a tape, you put it into a machine and sound is produced. If a record, CD, or tape is playing, sound is being produced from it.
She played her records too loudly... V n
There is classical music playing in the background. V, Also V n n
13 verb If a musician or group of musicians plays or plays a concert, they perform music for people to listen or dance to.
A band was playing... V
He will play concerts in Amsterdam and Paris. V n
14 If you ask what someone is playing at, you are angry because you think they are doing something stupid or wrong.
INFORMAL
what are you playing at? phrase V inflects (feelings)
What the hell are you playing at?
15 When something comes into play or is brought into play, it begins to be used or to have an effect.
come into play/be brought into play phrase V inflects
The real existence of a military option will come into play...
16 If something or someone plays a part or plays a rolein a situation, they are involved in it and have an effect on it.
play a part/play a role phrase V inflects, usu PHR in n
The UN would play a major role in monitoring a ceasefire., ...the role played by diet in disease.
17
→
to play ball
→
ball
→
to play your cards right
→
card
→
to play it by ear
→
ear
→
to play fair
→
fair
→
to play second fiddle
→
fiddle
→
to play the field
→
field
→
to play with fire
→
fire
→
to play the fool
→
fool
→
to play to the gallery
→
gallery
→
to play into someone's hands
→
hand
→
to play hard to get
→
hard
→
to play havoc
→
havoc
→
to play host
→
host
→
to play safe
→
safe
→
to play for time
→
time
→
to play truant
→
truant play along phrasal verb If you play alongwith a person, with what they say, or with their plans, you appear to agree with them and do what they want, even though you are not sure whether they are right.
no passive
My mother has learnt to play along with the bizarre conversations begun by father... V P with n
He led the way to the lift. Fox played along, following him. V P play around
1 phrasal verb If you play around, you behave in a silly way to amuse yourself or other people.
INFORMAL Stop playing around and eat!... V P
Had he taken the keys and played around with her car? V P with n
2 phrasal verb If you play around with a problem or an arrangement of objects, you try different ways of organizing it in order to find the best solution or arrangement.
INFORMAL I can play around with the pictures to make them more eye-catching. V P with n play at
1 phrasal verb If you say that someone isplaying at something, you disapprove of the fact that they are doing it casually and not very seriously.
no passive (disapproval)
We were still playing at war<endash>dropping leaflets instead of bombs. V P n/-ing
2 phrasal verb If someone, especially a child, plays at being someone or doing something, they pretend to be that person or do that thing as a game.
no passive
Ed played at being a pirate. V P n/-ing
3 phrasal verb If you do not know what someone is playing at, you do not understand what they are doing or what they are trying to achieve.
INFORMAL She began to wonder what he was playing at... V P play back phrasal verb When you play back a tape or film, you listen to the sounds or watch the pictures after recording them.
He bought an answering machine that plays back his messages when he calls... V P n (not pron)
Ted might benefit from hearing his own voice recorded and played back... V-ed P
I played the tape back. V n P
→
playback play down phrasal verb If you play down something, you try to make people believe that it is not particularly important., (Antonym: play up)
Western diplomats have played down the significance of the reports... V P n (not pron)
Both London and Dublin are playing the matter down. V n P play on phrasal verb If you play on someone's fears, weaknesses, or faults, you deliberately use them in order to persuade that person to do something, or to achieve what you want.
(=exploit)
...an election campaign which plays on the population's fear of change... V P n play out phrasal verb If a dramatic event is played out, it gradually takes place.
usu passive
(=unfold)
Her union reforms were played out against a background of rising unemployment... be V-ed P, Also V P n play up
1 phrasal verb If you play up something, you emphasize it and try to make people believe that it is important., (Antonym: play down)
The media played up the prospects for a settlement... V P n (not pron)
His Japanese ancestry has been played up by some of his opponents. V P n (not pron), Also V n P
2 phrasal verb If something such as a machine or a part of your body is playing up or is playing you up, it is causing problems because it is not working properly.
(BRIT)
INFORMAL usu cont, no passive
The engine had been playing up... V P
It was his back playing him up. V n P
3 phrasal verb When children play up, they are naughty and difficult to control. (BRIT) INFORMAL Patrick often plays up when he knows I'm in a hurry. V P
fair play
If you refer to someone's attitude or behaviour as fair play, you approve of it because it shows respect and sympathy towards everyone, even towards people who are thought to be wrong or to deserve punishment. n-uncount
(approval)
...a legal system that is unmatched anywhere in the world for its justice and sense of fair play.
foul play
1 n-uncount Foul play is criminal violence or activity that results in a person's death.
The report says it suspects foul play was involved in the deaths of two journalists.
2 n-uncount Foul play is unfair or dishonest behaviour, especially during a sports game.
Players were warned twice for foul play.
match play
Match play is a form of golf where the game is scored by the number of holes someone wins rather than the number of strokes it takes them to complete the course. n-uncount usu N n
nativity play (nativity plays plural )A nativity play is a play about the birth of Jesus, usually one performed by children at Christmas time. n-count
play-act (play-acts 3rd person present) (play-acting present participle) (play-acted past tense & past participle )If someone is play-acting, they are pretending to have attitudes or feelings that they do not really have. verb usu cont
The `victim' revealed he was only play acting. V
play-acting
Play-acting is behaviour where someone pretends to have attitudes or feelings that they do not really have. n-uncount
It was just a piece of play-acting.
Play-Doh
Play-Doh is a soft coloured substance like clay which children use for making models.
®
n-uncount
play-off (play-offs plural ), playoff
1 n-count A playoff is an extra game which is played to decide the winner of a sports competition when two or more people have got the same score.
Nick Faldo was beaten by Peter Baker in a play-off.
2 n-count You use playoffs to refer to a series of games between the winners of different leagues, to decide which teams will play for a championship.
usu N in pl
The winner will face the Oakland A's in the playoffs this weekend.
play on words (plays on words plural )A play on words is the same as a pun. n-count usu a N in sing
play park (play parks plural )A play park is a children's playground. n-count
plug-and-play
Plug-and-play is used to describe computer equipment, for example a printer, that is ready to use immediately when you connect it to a computer. (COMPUTING) adj ADJ n
... a plug-and-play USB camera.
power play (power plays plural ), power-play
1 n-count A power play is an attempt to gain an advantage by showing that you are more powerful than another person or organization, for example in a business relationship or negotiation.
Their politics consisted of unstable power-plays between rival groups.
2 n-uncount In a game of ice hockey, power play is a period of time when one team has more players because one or more of the other team is in the penalty box.
role play (role plays plural & 3rd person present) (role playing present participle) (role played past tense & past participle ), role-play
1 n-var Role play is the act of imitating the character and behaviour of someone who is different from yourself, for example as a training exercise.
Group members have to communicate with each other through role-play.
2 verb If people role play, they do a role play.
Rehearse and role-play the interview with a friend beforehand. V n, Also V
role playing n-uncount
We did a lot of role playing.
