Noun Definition

play

1.Definition: (game) the activity of doing something in an agreed succession

"It is my turn", "It is still my play"

Related Noun(s):turn

Category: General

2.Definition: (in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds

"Rain stopped play in the 4th inning"

Category: General

3.Definition: a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill

"He made a great maneuver", "The runner was out on a play by the shortstop"

Related Noun(s):maneuver, manoeuvre

Category: General

4.Definition: a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage

"He wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway"

Related Noun(s):drama

Category: General

5.Definition: a preset plan of action in team sports

"The coach drew up the plays for her team"

Category: General

6.Definition: a state in which action is feasible

"The ball was still in play", "Insiders said the company's stock was in play"

Category: General

7.Definition: a theatrical performance of a drama

"The play lasted two hours"

Category: General

8.Definition: a weak and tremulous light

"The shimmer of colors on iridescent feathers", "The play of light on the water"

Related Noun(s):shimmer

Category: General

9.Definition: activity by children that is guided more by imagination than by fixed rules

"Freud believed in the utility of play to a small child"

Category: General

10.Definition: an attempt to get something

"They made a futile play for power", "He made a bid to gain attention"

Related Noun(s):bid

Category: General

11.Definition: 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"

Related Noun(s):caper, frolic, gambol, romp

Category: General

12.Definition: movement or space for movement

"There was too much play in the steering wheel"

Related Noun(s):looseness

Category: General

13.Definition: 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"

Category: General

14.Definition: the act using a sword (or other weapon) vigorously and skillfully

Related Noun(s):swordplay

Category: General

15.Definition: the removal of constraints

"He gave free rein to his impulses", "They gave full play to the artist's talent"

Category: General

16.Definition: utilization or exercise

"The play of the imagination"

Category: General

17.Definition: verbal wit or mockery (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously)

Related Noun(s):fun, sport

Category: General