"playing" in the noun sense
1. playing
the act of playing a musical instrument
2. playing
the action of taking part in a game or sport or other recreation
3. acting, playing, playacting, performing
the performance of a part or role in a drama
"playing" in the verb sense
1. play
participate in games or sport
"We played hockey all afternoon"
"play cards"
"Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches"
2. play
act or have an effect in a specified way or with a specific effect or outcome
"This factor played only a minor part in his decision"
"This development played into her hands"
"I played no role in your dismissal"
3. play
play on an instrument
"The band played all night long"
4. act, play, represent
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"
5. play
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"
6. play, spiel
replay (as a melody
"Play it again, Sam"
"She played the third movement very beautifully"
7. play
perform music on (a musical instrument
"He plays the flute"
"Can you play on this old recorder?"
8. act, play, act as
pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind
"He acted the idiot"
"She plays deaf when the news are bad"
9. play
move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly
"The spotlights played on the politicians"
10. play
bet or wager (money
"He played $20 on the new horse"
"She plays the races"
11. play, recreate
engage in recreational activities rather than work occupy oneself in a diversion
"On weekends I play"
"The students all recreate alike"
12. play
pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity
"Let's play like I am mommy"
"Play cowboy and Indians"
13. play
emit recorded sound
"The tape was playing for hours"
"the stereo was playing Beethoven when I entered"
14. play
perform on a certain location
"The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16"
"She has been playing on Broadway for years"
15. play
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"
16. play, toy
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"
17. play
behave in a certain way
"play safe"
"play it safe"
"play fair"
18. play, run
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"
19. toy, fiddle, diddle, play
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"
20. play
use to one's advantage
"She plays on her clients' emotions"
21. dally, trifle, play
consider not very seriously
"He is trifling with her"
"She plays with the thought of moving to Tasmania"
22. play
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"
23. dally, toy, play, flirt
behave carelessly or indifferently
"Play about with a young girl's affection"
24. play
cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space
"The engine has a wheel that is playing in a rack"
25. act, play, roleplay, playact
perform on a stage or theater
"She acts in this play"
"He acted in `Julius Caesar'"
"I played in `A Christmas Carol'"
26. play
be performed or presented for public viewing
"What's playing in the local movie theater?"
"`Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years"
27. bring, work, play, wreak, make for
cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
"I cannot work a miracle"
"wreak havoc"
"bring comments"
"play a joke"
"The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area"
28. play
discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream
"play water from a hose"
"The fountains played all day"
29. play
make bets
"Play the races"
"play the casinos in Trouville"
30. bet, wager, play
stake on the outcome of an issue
"I bet $100 on that new horse"
"She played all her money on the dark horse"
31. play
shoot or hit in a particular manner
"She played a good backhand last night"
32. play
use or move
"I had to play my queen"
33. play
employ in a game or in a specific position
"They played him on first base"
34. meet, encounter, play, take on
contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle
"Princeton plays Yale this weekend"
"Charlie likes to play Mary"
35. play
exhaust by allowing to pull on the line
"play a hooked fish"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
Princeton University "About WordNet®."
WordNet®. Princeton University. 2010.
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