play
v.
employ in a game or in a specific position; "They played him on first base"
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.
use or move; "I had to play my queen"
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 or presented for public viewing; "What's playing in the local movie theater?"; "`Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years"
run,
play
v.
cause to emit recorded audio or video; "They ran the tapes over and over again"; "I'll play you my favorite record"; "He never tires of playing that video"
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"
spiel,
play
v.
replay (as a melody); "Play it again, Sam"; "She played the third movement very beautifully"
play
v.
play on an instrument; "The band played all night long"
play
v.
perform music on (a musical instrument); "He plays the flute"; "Can you play on this old recorder?"
play
v.
move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly; "The spotlights played on the politicians"
play
v.
shoot or hit in a particular manner; "She played a good backhand last night"
recreate,
play
v.
engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion; "On weekends I play"; "The students all recreate alike"
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"