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单词 play
释义

playverb

uk​/pleɪ/us​/pleɪ/

play verb (ENJOY)

A1 [ I ] When you play, especially as a child, you spend time doing an enjoyable and/or entertaining activity:

The children spent the afternoon playing with their new toys.
My daughter used to play with the kids next door.

More examples

  • Children were playing on the village green.
  • I'm not playing with him, he's not nice to me!
  • Erik needed a good wash after playing in the garden all day.
  • I asked Sophie if she wanted to come round and play with Isabel.
  • It's nice to hear children playing in the street.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Children's games

  • blind man's buff
  • conker
  • double Dutch
  • follow-my-leader
  • hangman
  • hoopla
  • hopscotch
  • life
  • marble
  • midget
  • musical chairs
  • peekaboo
  • piggy in the middle
  • piggyback
  • pretend
  • show-and-tell
  • spitball
  • tag
  • trick-or-treating
  • warm

See more results »

play verb (GAME)

A1 [ I or T ] to take part in a game or other organized activity:

Do you want to play cards/football (with us)?
Irene won't be able to play in the tennis match on Saturday.
Which team do you play for?
Luke plays centre-forward (= plays in that position within the team).

B1 [ T ] to compete against a person or team in a game:

Who are the Giants playing next week?

[ T ] to hit or kick a ball in a game:

He played the ball back to the goalkeeper.
A good pool player takes time deciding which shot to play.

[ T ] (in a card game) to choose a card from the ones you are holding and put it down on the table:

She played the ace of spades.

More examples

  • The children had an argument about what game to play.
  • I usually play football with some of my mates from the office on Saturdays.
  • We need a minimum of ten people to play this game.
  • She was picked to play for the team.
  • Susan is playing golf every day to try to improve her game.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Sports & games generally

  • athletics
  • contact sport
  • defensive
  • extreme sport
  • free running
  • game
  • high jinks
  • kabaddi
  • parkour
  • pickup
  • sport

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Competing in sport
General terms used in ball sports
Card games

play verb (ACT)

B1 [ I or T ] to perform an entertainment or a particular character in a play, film, etc.:

Scottish Opera played to full houses every night.
I didn't realize that "Macbeth" was playing (= being performed) at the festival.
In the movie version, Branagh played the hero.

[ T ] to behave or pretend in a particular way, especially in order to produce a particular effect or result:

to play dead/dumb
Would you mind playing host (= entertaining the guests)?
play a joke/trick

B2 to deceive someone to make them laugh or in order to get an advantage over them:

She loves playing practical jokes on her friends.
play a part

B2 to help to achieve something:

My thanks to everyone who has played a part in saving the hospital.

More examples

  • Vargas plays the part of treacherous aristocrat who betrays his king and country.
  • In the movie, he plays a concerned and sensitive father trying to bring up two teenage children on his own.
  • She plays the part of the sexy blonde waitress.
  • In British pantomimes a man dresses up as the Dame and a woman plays the part of the young hero.
  • Not so long ago Viviana was a little-known actress playing in a provincial theatre.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Cinema & theatre: acting, rehearsing & performing

  • act
  • act sth out
  • amateur theater
  • dumb show
  • enact
  • entrance 1
  • ham
  • ham it up
  • improvise
  • live action
  • mime
  • offstage
  • portray
  • prompt
  • repertory
  • rest
  • stage
  • stage whisper
  • stretch
  • variety

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Behaving, interacting and behaviour
Cheating & tricking
Helping and co-operating

play verb (PRODUCE SOUNDS/PICTURES)

A2 [ I or T ] to perform music on an instrument or instruments:

He learned to play the clarinet at the age of ten.
[ + two objects ] Play us a song!/Play a song for us!
On Radio London they play African and South American music as well as rock and pop.
They could hear a jazz band playing in the distance.

A2 [ I or T ] to (cause a machine to) produce sound or a picture:

Play the last few minutes of the video again.
See also
playback

More examples

  • Jean plays the guitar and her brother is on percussion.
  • Suddenly, cymbals crashed and the orchestra began playing.
  • I'm playing in a concert at the church hall next weekend.
  • I've asked them not to play their music so loudly, but they're not being very cooperative.
  • The family all play instruments - they're all very musical.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Playing music

  • accompaniment
  • accompany
  • busk
  • conduct
  • fiddle
  • fingering
  • improvisation
  • interpreter
  • jam
  • music
  • perform
  • raise the roof idiom
  • serenade
  • sight-read
  • strum
  • swell
  • tap
  • tap sth out
  • tune
  • virtuoso

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Recording sounds and images
Using and misusing

play verb (MOVE)

[ I or T ] to direct or be directed over or onto something:

Firefighters played their hoses onto the base of the fire.
A fountain was playing (= sending out water) in the courtyard outside.

[ I + adv/prep ] (of something you see, such as light) to move quickly or be seen for a short time:

A smile played across/over/on his lips.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

General words for movement

  • betake
  • budge
  • budge up
  • circulate
  • gangway!
  • go around
  • head
  • locomotion
  • manoeuvre
  • mill around
  • mobility
  • mope
  • mope around (somewhere)
  • move
  • pass
  • round
  • slip
  • steer
  • sway
  • travel

See more results »

play verb (RISK MONEY)

[ T ] to risk money, especially on the results of races or business deals, hoping to win more money:

He plays the horses/the stock market.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Gambling & bookmaking

  • ante
  • bank
  • banker
  • bet
  • bookmaker
  • chip
  • cockfight
  • dice
  • draw
  • gamble
  • gaming table
  • grab bag
  • heads or tails? idiom
  • high roller
  • juke joint
  • lucky dip
  • spin a coin idiom
  • stake
  • tombola
  • toss

See more results »

Idiom(s)

be playing at sth
go play with yourself!
have sth to play with
play sb at their own game
play your cards right
play (sth) by ear
play it by ear
play (merry) hell with sth
play (it) safe
play a joke/trick on sb
play ball
play both ends against the middle
play fair
play footsie
play for time
play games
play God
play hard to get
play hardball
play it cool
play possum
play second fiddle
play silly buggers
play the field
play the game
play the system
play to the gallery
play to the whistle

Phrasal verb(s)

play along
play around
play around with sth
play at sth
play sth back
play sth down
play off
play sb/sth off against sb/sth
play on/upon sth
play sth out
play itself out
play out
play sth up
play (sb) up
play up
play up to sb
play with sth
play with yourself

playnoun

uk​/pleɪ/us​/pleɪ/

play noun (ACTING)

A2 [ C ] a piece of writing that is intended to be acted in a theatre or on radio or television:

a radio play
"Did you see the play (= the performance of the play) on Thursday?" "No, I went on Wednesday night."

More examples

  • He's got a small part in the school play.
  • In Shakespeare's play 'Twelfth Night', Duke Orsino falls in love with the disguised Viola.
  • During certain scenes of the play there isn't any script and the actors just improvise.
  • The play will be performed first in London, and will then tour the rest of the country.
  • His latest play has delighted theatre audiences and theatre critics alike.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Literature

  • alliteration
  • antihero
  • arch-villain
  • baddy
  • ballad
  • bard
  • dramatist
  • epigram
  • hero
  • heroine
  • iambic
  • ingénue
  • limerick
  • poetry
  • prose poem
  • prosody
  • psalm
  • quatrain
  • stylistics
  • tragicomedy

See more results »

play noun (GAME)

[ U ] the activity of taking part in a sport or a game:

Rain stopped play during the final of the National Tennis Championship.

[ C ] US a plan or a small set of actions in a sport:

The new pitcher made a great play on that throw to first base.
in/out of play

If a ball is in/out of play, it is/is not in a position where it can be hit, kicked, or thrown:

The ball had gone out of play.
She managed to keep the ball in play.

More examples

  • By the end of the day's play Davies had a lead of three points.
  • There was some truly magnificent play in the third set of the match.
  • Play will resume here at Wimbledon at 2 p.m. tomorrow.
  • Could it be that the champion is allowing his personal problems to affect his play?
  • We've seen some very untidy play from both teams since half-time.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Competing in sport

  • amateur
  • attack
  • away
  • bring
  • bring sb on
  • bye
  • bye week
  • catch up
  • contention
  • contest
  • cup-tied
  • field
  • go in for sth
  • partner
  • run
  • sideline
  • square off
  • step/move up a gear idiom
  • try out for sth
  • versus

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Sports & games generally
General terms used in ball sports

play noun (ENJOYMENT)

B2 [ U ] activity that is not serious but done for enjoyment, especially when children enjoy themselves with toys and games:

The kids don't get much time for play in the evenings.
We watched the children at play in the park.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

General words for fun

  • amusement
  • crack
  • craic
  • fling
  • fun
  • gas
  • giggle
  • hoopla
  • horseplay
  • jollification
  • laugh
  • merriment
  • riot
  • rough
  • rough and tumble idiom
  • sport

play noun (MOVEMENT)

[ U ] movement:

the play of moonlight across the water
the play of emotion across/on his face

[ U ] the fact that a rope or a structure is free to move, especially a small distance:

Aircraft wings are designed to have a certain amount of play in them.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

General words for movement

  • betake
  • budge
  • budge up
  • circulate
  • gangway!
  • go around
  • head
  • locomotion
  • manoeuvre
  • mill around
  • mobility
  • mope
  • mope around (somewhere)
  • move
  • pass
  • round
  • slip
  • steer
  • sway
  • travel

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Flexible, loose and yielding

Idiom(s)

come into play
give/allow sth full play
make a play for sth/sb
play on words

playverb

us​/pleɪ/

play verb (ENJOY)

[ I ] to spend time doing something enjoyable or amusing:

The children spent the afternoon playing.

play verb (COMPETE)

[ I/T ] to take part in a game or other organized activity:

[ T ] He loves playing football.
[ I ] What team does she play for?

[ I/T ] If you play a person or team, you compete against them:

[ T ] We’re going to the stadium to see New York play Chicago.

[ I/T ] If you play the ball or a shot, you hit or kick the ball:

[ T ] In golf, you have to take time to decide how to play difficult shots.

[ I/T ] In a card game, to play a card is to choose it from the ones you are holding and put it down on the table.

play verb (ACT)

to perform as a character in a play or movie, or (of a performance) to be shown:

[ T ] She played the part of a beautiful and brilliant scientist.
[ I ] What’s playing at (= being shown at) the local movie theaters?

To play is also to behave or pretend in a particular way, esp. to produce an effect or result:

[ L ] Don’t play dumb with me (= pretend you don’t know anything) – you know very well what happened!

To play can mean to influence or have an effect on:

[ T ] The president denied that politics played any part in his decision to appoint a woman to the Supreme Court.
play a joke on someone also play a trick on someone

To play a joke on someone or play a trick on someone is to deceive someone for amusement or in order to get an advantage:

She loves to play jokes on her friends.

play verb (PRODUCE SOUNDS/PICTURES)

[ I/T ] to perform music on an instrument, or to cause something that produces sound or a picture to operate:

[ I/T ] She plays (the piano) beautifully.
[ T ] I was just playing my stereo.
I learned how toplay the guitar by ear (= by listening rather than by reading music).

play verb (RISK MONEY)

[ T ] to risk money, esp. on the results of races or business deals, hoping to win money:

He plays the stock market.

Idiom(s)

play ball
play your cards right
play games
play hardball
play havoc with
play hooky
play it by ear
play it safe
play with fire

Phrasal verb(s)

play along
play around
play back something
play down something
play up
play up something
play with something

playnoun

us​/pleɪ/

play noun (ACT)

literature [ C ] a story that is intended to be acted out before people who have come to see it:

She starred in many Broadway plays in her career.

play noun (COMPETE)

in play also out of play

If a ball or something else is in play, it is in a position where it can be used as part of the regular action in a game or sport, and if it is out of play, it is not in such a position:

[ U ] She put the ball in play in midfield.

In sports, a play can also be a particular action or a plan for a specific set of actions:

[ C ] The school football team has been practicing new plays all week.

Idiom(s)

a play on words

playverb

uk​/pleɪ/us​
have money/time, etc. to play with

to have money, time, etc. available to use:

Swelling tax receipts have given the government more money to play with over the last two years.
play by the rules

to obey the rules of a particular system:

Workers should not be relegated to poverty if they work hard and play by the rules.
play by your own rules

to do things in the way that you want, rather than obeying the rules of a particular system:

Large multinational corporations often play by their own rules.
play catch up

to try to be as successful as other people, companies, etc.:

The firm has adapted quickly to changes in the global market, leaving its rivals to play catch up.
play for high stakes

to take big risks in order to achieve something that you really want:

The Prime Minister is playing for high stakes, at the risk of alienating public opinion.
play (it) safe

to decide not to take risks:

The federal government often plays it safe by funding research that is likely to succeed but may have only a slight impact.
The biggest companies usually play safe and hire top legal firms from London or New York.
play the (money/stock) market

FINANCE to trade shares, bonds, etc., especially in order to make money quickly, rather than to invest over a longer period:

Spread betting companies offer an opportunity for private individuals to play the stock market.
play a key/major/important role/part (in sth) also have a key/major/important role/part to play (in sth)

to have a lot of power or influence in a particular situation:

His financial expertise played a major role in London City airport's development.
IT had a key part to play in modernizing the organization.
play the system

to use a set of rules or laws in order to get an advantage for yourself, in a way that may not be fair:

If you know how to play the system, there are various legal loopholes to be exploited.
play to your strengths

to do things that you know you are good at:

In business, you sometimes have to follow your instincts and play to your strengths.

See also

Plug-and-Play

Phrasal verb(s)

play sth back
play sth down
play out
play sth up

playnoun

uk​/pleɪ/us​

[ C ] FINANCE the act of trading shares, bonds, etc.:

Institutional investors remained on the sidelines, refusing to make any big plays until a definite announcement is made.
be at play

to have an influence in a situation:

Many issues are at play here, including the impact on the environment.
be in play

FINANCE if a company or its shares are in play, they may be bought by other companies or shareholders:

In a corporate-driven deal environment, even "untouchable" bank stocks could be in play.
bring/call sth into play

to start to use something for a particular purpose:

Special computer software programs were brought into play during the vote recount.
come into play

to begin to have an influence on something:

New federal pension laws have come into play that could affect the retirement security of many of our employees.
make a play for sth

to try to get control of something:

The government has been accused of making a play for online betting tax revenues.

See also

role play
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更新时间：2024/9/23 5:18:56