playing - definition, thesaurus and related words from WordNet-Online

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Noun playing has 3 senses

playing - the act of playing a musical instrument
--₁ is a kind of musical performance
--₁ has particulars: bowing; piping; stopping; transposition
Derived forms: verb play₃, verb play₇, verb play₆
playing - the action of taking part in a game or sport or other recreation
--₂ is a kind of action
--₂ has particulars: bowling; catching; golfing; pitching
Derived forms: verb play₅, verb play₁₁, verb play₃₄, verb play₁, verb play₁₆
acting, playing, playacting, performing - the performance of a part or role in a drama
--₃ is a kind of activity; performing arts
--₃ is a part of performance
--₃ has particulars:
portrayal, characterization, enactment, personation; impersonation, personation; mime, pantomime, dumb show; business, stage business, byplay; skit; hamming, overacting; heroics; roleplaying

Derived forms: verb play₂₅, verb play₄

Verb play has 35 senses

play - participate in games or sport; "We played hockey all afternoon"; "play cards"; "Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches"
--₁ is one way to compete, vie, contend

Derived forms: noun play₉, noun play₃, noun player₄, noun player₁, noun playing₂
Sample sentences:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
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"
--₂ is one way to act, move

Derived forms: noun play₆, noun play₅
Sample sentences:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
play - play on an instrument; "The band played all night long"
--₃ is one way to perform

Derived forms: noun player₂, noun playing₁
Sample sentence:
Sam and Sue play
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"
--₄ is one way to re-create

Derived forms: noun play₂, noun play₁, noun player₃, noun playing₃
Sample sentences:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
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"
--₅ is one way to act

Derived forms: noun play₁₄, noun play₈, noun playing₂
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s
play, spiel - replay (as a melody); "Play it again, Sam"; "She played the third movement very beautifully"
--₆ is one way to re-create

Derived form: noun playing₁
Sample sentence:
They will play the duet
play - perform music on (a musical instrument); "He plays the flute"; "Can you play on this old recorder?"
--₇ is one way to sound

Derived form: noun playing₁
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s something
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"
--₈ is one way to act, behave, do
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s somebody
play - move or seem to move quickly, lightly, or irregularly; "The spotlights played on the politicians"
--₉ is one way to travel, go, move, locomote

Derived form: noun play₁₁
Sample sentence:
Something is ----ing PP
play - bet or wager (money); "He played $20 on the new horse"; "She plays the races"
--₁₀ is one way to gamble

Derived form: noun play₁₅
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s something
play, recreate - engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion; "On weekends I play"; "The students all recreate alike"

Derived forms: noun play₁₄, noun playing₂
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s
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"
--₁₂ is one way to simulate, assume, sham, feign
Sample sentences:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE
play - emit recorded sound; "The tape was playing for hours"; "the stereo was playing Beethoven when I entered"
--₁₃ is one way to sound
Sample sentences:
Something ----s
Something ----s something
play - perform on a certain location; "The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16"; "She has been playing on Broadway for years"
--₁₄ is one way to perform

Derived forms: noun play₂, noun play₁
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s something
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"
--₁₅ is one way to deploy

Derived form: noun play₁₅
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s something
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 stockmarket"; "play with her feelings"; "toy with an idea"
--₁₆ is one way to act, behave, do

Derived form: noun playing₂
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s something
play - behave in a certain way; "play safe"; "play it safe"; "play fair"
--₁₇ is one way to act, move
Sample sentences:
Somebody ----s
Something ----s something Adjective/Noun
Somebody ----s Adjective
play, run - cause to emit recorded sounds; "They ran the tapes over and over again"; "Can you play my favorite record?"
Sample sentence:
Sam and Sue play the movie
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"
--₁₉ is one way to manipulate
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s PP
play - use to one's advantage; "She plays on her clients' emotions"
--₂₀ is one way to exploit, work

Derived form: noun play₄
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s PP
dally, trifle, play - consider not very seriously; "He is trifling with her"; "She plays with the thought of moving to Tasmania"
--₂₁ is one way to consider, take, deal, look at
Sample sentence:
Sam wants to play with Sue
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"
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s
dally, toy, play, flirt - behave carelessly or indifferently; "Play about with a young girl's affection"
--₂₃ is one way to act, move
Sample sentences:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
play - cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space; "The engine has a wheel that is playing in a rack"
--₂₄ is one way to move, displace

Derived form: noun play₁₃
Sample sentences:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
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'"
--₂₅ is one way to perform

Derived forms: noun play₂, noun play₁, noun player₃, noun playing₃
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s
play - be performed; "What's playing in the local movie theater?"; "`Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years"

Derived forms: noun play₁, noun play₂
Sample sentences:
Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP
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"
--₂₇ is one way to make, create
Sample sentences:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
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"
--₂₈ is one way to discharge
Sample sentences:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
play - make bets; "Play the reaces"; "play the casinos in Trouville"
--₂₉ is one way to bet, wager, play

Derived form: noun play₁₅
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s something
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"
--₃₀ is one way to gamble

Derived form: noun play₁₅
Sample sentences:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
play - shoot or hit in a particular manner; "She played a good backhand last night"
--₃₁ is one way to hit

Derived form: noun play₄
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s something
play - use or move; "I had to play my queen"
--₃₂ is one way to use, utilize, utilise, apply, employ

Derived form: noun play₃
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s something
play - employ in a game or in a specific position; "They played him on first base"
--₃₃ is one way to use, utilize, utilise, apply, employ

Derived form: noun play₃
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s somebody
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"

Derived forms: noun play₉, noun playing₂
Sample sentences:
Sam and Sue play
Sam cannot play Sue
play - exhaust by allowing to pull on the line; "play a hooked fish"
--₃₅ is one way to exhaust, wash up, beat, tucker, tucker out
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s something