play :: Lexipedia - Where words have meaning

Nouns (24)

play

n. the act using a sword (or other weapon) vigorously and skillfully

play

n. a preset plan of action in team sports; "the coach drew up the plays for her team"

play

n. utilization or exercise; "the play of the imagination"

play

n. a theatrical performance of a drama; "the play lasted two hours"

play

n. a state in which action is feasible; "the ball was still in play"; "insiders said the company's stock was in play"

child's play

n. activity by children that is guided more by imagination than by fixed rules; "Freud believed in the utility of play to a small child"

turn

n. (game) the activity of doing something in an agreed succession; "it is my turn"; "it is still my play"

bid

n. an attempt to get something; "they made a futile play for power"; "he made a bid to gain attention"

looseness

n. movement or space for movement; "there was too much play in the steering wheel"

drama

n. a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage; "he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway"

shimmer

n. a weak and tremulous light; "the shimmer of colors on iridescent feathers"; "the play of light on the water"

free rein

n. the removal of constraints; "he gave free rein to his impulses"; "they gave full play to the artist's talent"

gambling, gaming

n. the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize); "his gambling cost him a fortune"; "there was heavy play at the blackjack table"

maneuver, manoeuvre

n. a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill; "he made a great maneuver"; "the runner was out on a play by the shortstop"

sport, fun

n. verbal wit or mockery (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously); "he became a figure of fun"; "he said it in sport"

period of play, playing period

n. (in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds; "rain stopped play in the 4th inning"

frolic, romp, gambol, caper

n. gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement; "it was all done in play"; "their frolic in the surf threatened to become ugly"

Verbs (36)

play

v. 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

v. exhaust by allowing to pull on the line; "play a hooked fish"

play

v. participate in games or sport; "We played hockey all afternoon"; "play cards"; "Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches"

play

v. bet or wager (money); "He played $20 on the new horse"; "She plays the races"

play

v. 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

v. 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

v. perform on a certain location; "The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16"; "She has been playing on Broadway for years"

play

v. be performed; "What's playing in the local movie theater?"; "`Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years"

play

v. 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

v. play on an instrument; "The band played all night long"

play

v. move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly; "The spotlights played on the politicians"

play

v. cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space; "The engine has a wheel that is playing in a rack"

play

v. 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

v. behave in a certain way; "play safe"; "play it safe"; "play fair"

play

v. 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"

run

v. cause to emit recorded sounds; "They ran the tapes over and over again"; "Can you play my favorite record?"

play on

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

amuse oneself

v. engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion; "On weekends I play"; "The students all recreate alike"

act, act as

v. pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind; "He acted the idiot"; "She plays deaf when the news are bad"

encounter, meet, take on

v. contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle; "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"; "Charlie likes to play Mary"

toy, fiddle, diddle

v. 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"

act, represent

v. 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"

act, roleplay, playact

v. perform on a stage or theater; "She acts in this play"; "He acted in `Julius Caesar'"; "I played in `A Christmas Carol'"

spiel, render

v. replay (as a melody); "Play it again, Sam"; "She played the third movement very beautifully"

flirt, toy, dally

v. behave carelessly or indifferently; "Play about with a young girl's affection"

Adverbs (0)

Adjectives (2)

make-believe, pretend

adj. imagined as in a play; "the make-believe world of theater"; "play money"; "dangling their legs in the water to catch pretend fish"

Fuzzynyms (225)

production

n. a presentation for the stage or screen or radio or television; "have you seen the new production of Hamlet?"

show, display

n. something intended to communicate a particular impression; "made a display of strength"; "a show of impatience"; "a good show of looking interested"

tragedy

n. drama in which the protagonist is overcome by some superior force or circumstance; excites terror or pity

act, action

n. something done (usually as opposed to something said); "there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions"

production

n. the act or process of producing something; "Shakespeare's production of poetry was enormous"; "the production of white blood cells"

deed, feat, effort, exploit

n. a notable achievement; "he performed a great deed"; "the book was her finest effort"

indulgence, lenience

n. a disposition to yield to the wishes of someone; "too much indulgence spoils a child"

patience, forbearance, longanimity

n. good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence

laxness, laxity, remissness

n. the quality of being lax and neglectful

dramatics, theater, theatre, dramaturgy, dramatic art

n. the art of writing and producing plays

skit

n. a short theatrical episode

theatrical, histrionics, theatrical performance

n. a performance of play

piece, newspaper article, news story, news article

n. an article reporting news

composition, piece, opus, musical composition, piece of music

n. a musical work that has been created; "the composition is written in four movements"

production

n. the act or process of producing something; "Shakespeare's production of poetry was enormous"; "the production of white blood cells"

show

n. a social event involving a public performance or entertainment; "they wanted to see some of the shows on Broadway"

gleam, gleaming, glimmer

n. a flash of light (especially reflected light)

flicker, glint, spark

n. a momentary flash of light

coup d'etat, coup, putsch

n. a sudden and decisive change of government illegally or by force

gambit

n. a chess move early in the game in which the player sacrifices minor pieces in order to obtain an advantageous position

procedure, process

n. a particular course of action intended to achieve a result; "the procedure of obtaining a driver's license"; "it was a process of trial and error"

attack, approach, plan of attack

n. ideas or actions intended to deal with a problem or situation; "his approach to every problem is to draw up a list of pros and cons"; "an attack on inflation"; "his plan of attack was misguided"

fashion

n. characteristic or habitual practice

maneuver, manoeuvre, simulated military operation

n. a military training exercise

cheer

n. a cry or shout of approval

takeoff, parody, mockery, charade, lampoon, spoof, sendup, burlesque, travesty, pasquinade

n. a composition that imitates somebody's style in a humorous way

buffoonery, clowning, frivolity, harlequinade, prank

n. acting like a clown or buffoon

pass, fling, whirl, crack, go, offer

n. a usually brief attempt; "he took a crack at it"; "I gave it a whirl"

deed, feat, effort, exploit

n. a notable achievement; "he performed a great deed"; "the book was her finest effort"

stunt

n. a difficult or unusual or dangerous feat; usually done to gain attention

fidget, move restlessly

v. move restlessly; "The child is always fidgeting in his seat"

twist, wriggle, squirm, wrestle, worm, writhe

v. to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling); "The prisoner writhed in discomfort"; "The child tried to wriggle free from his aunt's embrace"

flip, twitch

v. toss with a sharp movement so as to cause to turn over in the air

joggle, jiggle, wiggle

v. move to and fro; "Don't jiggle your finger while the nurse is putting on the bandage!"

joke, jest, tell a joke

v. tell a joke; speak humorously; "He often jokes even when he appears serious"

caper, jump about

v. jump about playfully

blow

v. exhale hard; "blow on the soup to cool it down"

encounter, meet, receive

v. experience as a reaction; "My proposal met with much opposition"

encounter, meet, see, come across, run into, forgather, foregather, run across

v. come together; "I'll probably see you at the meeting"; "How nice to see you again!"

touch, match, equal, rival

v. be equal to in quality or ability; "Nothing can rival cotton for durability"; "Your performance doesn't even touch that of your colleagues"; "Her persistence and ambition only matches that of her parents"

fight, struggle, have a fight

v. be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight; "the tribesmen fought each other"; "Siblings are always fighting"; "Militant groups are contending for control of the country"

brave, weather, endure, brave out

v. face or endure with courage; "She braved the elements"

fake, wangle, fudge, cook, manipulate, falsify, play with, misrepresent, tamper with

v. fake or falsify; "Fudge the figures"; "cook the books"; "falsify the data"

counterfeit, fake, forge

v. make a copy of with the intent to deceive; "he faked the signature"; "they counterfeited dollar bills"; "She forged a Green Card"

copy, simulate, imitate

v. reproduce someone's behavior or looks; "The mime imitated the passers-by"; "Children often copy their parents or older siblings"

doctor, sophisticate, adulterate, doctor up

v. alter with the intention to deceive

abuse, misuse, pervert

v. change the inherent purpose or function of something; "Don't abuse the system"; "The director of the factory misused the funds intended for the health care of his workers"

produce, bring about, give rise to

v. cause to happen, occur or exist; "This procedure produces a curious effect"; "The new law gave rise to many complaints"; "These chemicals produce a noxious vapor"; "the new President must bring about a change in the health care system"

appear

v. appear as a character on stage or appear in a play, etc.; "Gielgud appears briefly in this movie"; "She appeared in `Hamlet' on the London stage"

adapt, dramatize, dramatise

v. put into dramatic form; "adopt a book for a screenplay"

look, appear, seem

v. give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect; "She seems to be sleeping"; "This appears to be a very difficult problem"; "This project looks fishy"; "They appeared like people who had not eaten or slept for a long time"

appear, seem

v. come into sight or view; "He suddenly appeared at the wedding"; "A new star appeared on the horizon"

impersonate, portray

v. assume or act the character of; "She impersonates Madonna"; "The actor portrays an elderly, lonely man"

present, portray

v. represent in a painting, drawing, sculpture, or verbally; "The father is portrayed as a good-looking man in this painting"

depict, portray, limn

v. make a portrait of; "Goya wanted to portray his mistress, the Duchess of Alba"

outline, delineate, limn, trace the shape of

v. trace the shape of

show, picture, depict

v. show in, or as in, a picture; "This scene depicts country life"; "the face of the child is rendered with much tenderness in this painting"

complete, carry out, execute, fulfill, fulfil, accomplish, carry through

v. put in effect; "carry out a task"; "execute the decision of the people"; "He actioned the operation"

discharge, empty, become void, become empty

v. become empty or void of its content; "The room emptied"

finish, end, stop, halt, cease, run out, terminate, come to an end, close over

v. bring to an end or halt; "She ended their friendship when she found out that he had once been convicted of a crime"; "The attack on Poland terminated the relatively peaceful period after WW I"

sketch, outline, chalk out

v. make a sketch of; "sketch the building"

dawdle, linger, move slowly, take one's time

v. take one's time; proceed slowly

delay

v. act later than planned, scheduled, or required; "Don't delay your application to graduate school or else it won't be considered"

lounge, loaf, lurk, mill about, mill around, tarry, linger, footle, loiter, lollygag, lallygag, be about, mess about, hang around

v. be about; "The high school students like to loiter in the Central Square"; "Who is this man that is hanging around the department?"

tease, offer and withdraw

v. to arouse hope, desire, or curiosity without satisfying them; "The advertisement is intended to tease the customers"; "She has a way of teasing men with her flirtatious behavior"

tamper, meddle, interfere unwantedly

v. intrude in other people's affairs or business; interfere unwantedly; "Don't meddle in my affairs!"

fool, horse around, arse around, fool around

v. indulge in horseplay; "Enough horsing around--let's get back to work!"; "The bored children were fooling about"

Synonyms (40)

dally with, play with, trifle with

v. consider not very seriously

turn to, think of, entertain, take into consideration, flirt with, toy with, think about

v. take into consideration, have in view; "He entertained the notion of moving to South America"

deceptive, delusory

adj. causing one to believe what is not true or fail to believe what is true; "deceptive calm"; "a delusory pleasure"

dreamlike, surreal

adj. resembling a dream; "night invested the lake with a dreamlike quality"; "as irrational and surreal as a dream"

eye-deceiving, trompe-l'oeil

adj. creating the illusion of seeing reality; "the visual deception of trompe-l'oeil art"

legendary, fabled

adj. celebrated in fable or legend; "the fabled Paul Bunyan and his blue ox"; "legendary exploits of Jesse James"

made-up, fictitious, fabricated, fancied, fictional, fictive, invented

adj. formed or conceived by the imagination; "a fabricated excuse for his absence"; "a fancied wrong"; "a fictional character"; "used fictitious names"; "a made-up story"

fabulous, mythic, mythical, mythologic, mythological

adj. based on or told of in traditional stories; lacking factual basis or historical validity; "mythical centaurs"; "the fabulous unicorn"

fanciful

adj. not based on fact; dubious; "the falsehood about some fanciful secret treaties"- F.D.Roosevelt; "a small child's imaginary friends"; "her imagined fame"; "to create a notional world for oneself"

hallucinatory

adj. characterized by or characteristic of hallucination ; "the bizarre hallucinatory dreams of fever"- Jean Stafford

illusional, illusionary

adj. marked by or producing illusion; "illusionary stage effects"

illusive, illusory

adj. based on or having the nature of an illusion; "illusive hopes of finding a better job"; "Secret activities offer presidents the alluring but often illusory promise that they can achieve foreign policy goals without the bothersome debate and open decision that are staples of democracy"

notional, imaginary, imagined

adj. not based on fact; dubious; "the falsehood about some fanciful secret treaties"- F.D.Roosevelt; "a small child's imaginary friends"; "her imagined fame"; "to create a notional world for oneself"

phantom

adj. something apparently sensed but having no physical reality; "seemed to hear faint phantom bells"; "the amputee's illusion of a phantom limb"

Antonyms (13)

work

n. activity directed toward making or doing something; "she checked several points needing further work"

tightness, tautness

n. lack of movement or room for movement

pass, work, airt, make one's way, work one's way

v. go across or through; "We passed the point where the police car had parked"; "A terrible thought went through his mind"

move, work

v. move in an agitated manner; "His fingers worked with tension"

work, knead, make uniform

v. as of dough or clay

play

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