play

CEFRA1

/pleɪ̯/ [pɫ̥eɪ̯ ~ pʰɫeɪ̯]

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To do something for enjoyment or take part in a game.

  2. 02

    noun

    A story performed by actors on a stage.

Examples

  • I will play Sudoku then instead of continuing to bother you.

  • It is said that "Hamlet" is the most interesting play ever written.

At a glance

Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ple(j)/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game).

  2. To toy or trifle; to act with levity or thoughtlessness; to be careless.

  3. To act in a manner such that one has fun; to engage in activities expressly for the purpose of recreation or entertainment.

More examples

In context

  • You'll have to play inside today.

  • 2003, Anne-Nelly Perret-Clermont et al. (eds.), Joining Society: Social Interaction and Learning in Adolescence and Youth, Cambridge Univ. Press, p.52:

  • Don't play with your food!

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The children will blank with the new toys in the garden this afternoon.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English pleyen (verb) and Middle English pleye (noun), from Old English plegian and plegan, plagian (“to play, exercise, etc.”), from Proto-West Germanic *plehan (“to care about, be concerned with”) and Proto-West Germanic *plegōn (“to engage, move”), of uncertain origin. cognates and related terms Cognate with Scots play (“to act or move briskly, cause to move, stir”), Saterland Frisian pleegje (“to look after, care for, maintain”), West Frisian pleegje, pliigje (“to commit, perform, bedrive”), Middle Dutch pleyen ("to dance, leap for joy, rejoice, be glad"; compare Modern Dutch pleien (“to play a particular children's game”)), Dutch plegen (“to commit, bedrive, practice”), Ger...