Play

v. i.

To engage in sport or lively recreation; to exercise for the sake of amusement; to frolic; to spot.

[imp. & p. p. Played ; p. pr. & vb. n. Playing.]

As Cannace was playing in her walk.

- Chaucer.

The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day,
Had he thy reason, would he skip and play!

- Pope.

And some, the darlings of their Lord,
Play smiling with the flame and sword.

- Keble.

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

"Nay," quod this monk, "I have no lust to pleye."

- Chaucer.

Men are apt to play with their healths.

- Sir W. Temple.

To contend, or take part, in a game; as, to play ball; hence, to gamble; as, he played for heavy stakes.

To perform on an instrument of music; as, to play on a flute.

One that . . . can play well on an instrument.

- Ezek. xxxiii. 32.

Play, my friend, and charm the charmer.

- Granville.

To act; to behave; to practice deception.

His mother played false with a smith.

- Shak.

To move in any manner; especially, to move regularly with alternate or reciprocating motion; to operate; to act; as, the fountain plays.

The heart beats, the blood circulates, the lungs play.

- Cheyne.

To move gayly; to wanton; to disport.

Even as the waving sedges play with wind.

- Shak.

The setting sun
Plays on their shining arms and burnished helmets.

- Addison.

All fame is foreign but of true desert,
Plays round the head, but comes not to the heart.

- Pope.

To act on the stage; to personate a character.

A lord will hear your play to-night.

- Shak.

Courts are theaters where some men play.

- Donne.

To play into a person's hands
to act, or to manage matters, to his advantage or benefit.

To play off
to affect; to feign; to practice artifice.

To play upon
a -	To make sport of; to deceive.

Art thou alive?
Or is it fantasy that plays upon our eyesight.

- Shak.

v. t.

To put in action or motion; as, to play cannon upon a fortification; to play a trump.

First Peace and Silence all disputes control,
Then Order plays the soul.

- Herbert.

To perform music upon; as, to play the flute or the organ.

To perform, as a piece of music, on an instrument; as, to play a waltz on the violin.

To bring into sportive or wanton action; to exhibit in action; to execute; as, to play tricks.

Nature here
Wantoned as in her prime, and played at will
Her virgin fancies.

- Milton.

To act or perform (a play); to represent in music action; as, to play a comedy; also, to act in the character of; to represent by acting; to simulate; to behave like; as, to play King Lear; to play the woman.

Thou canst play the rational if thou wilt.

- Sir W. Scott.

To engage in, or go together with, as a contest for amusement or for a wager or prize; as, to play a game at baseball.

To keep in play, as a hooked fish, in order to land it.

To play hob
to play the part of a mischievous spirit; to work mischief.

To play off
to display; to show; to put in exercise; as, to play off tricks.

To play one's cards
to manage one's means or opportunities; to contrive.

Played out
tired out; exhausted; at the end of one's resources.

Amusement; sport; frolic; gambols.

Any exercise, or series of actions, intended for amusement or diversion; a game.

John naturally loved rough play.

- Arbuthnot.

The act or practice of contending for victory, amusement, or a prize, as at dice, cards, or billiards; gaming; as, to lose a fortune in play.

Action; use; employment; exercise; practice; as, fair play; sword play; a play of wit.

A dramatic composition; a comedy or tragedy; a composition in which characters are represented by dialogue and action.

A play ought to be a just image of human nature.

- Dryden.

The representation or exhibition of a comedy or tragedy; as, he attends ever play.

Performance on an instrument of music.

Motion; movement, regular or irregular; as, the play of a wheel or piston; hence, also, room for motion; free and easy action.

The joints are let exactly into one another, that they have no play between them.

- Moxon.

Hence, liberty of acting; room for enlargement or display; scope; as, to give full play to mirth.

Play actor
an actor of dramas.

Play debt
a gambling debt. - Prynne.

Play pleasure
idle amusement. - Arbuthnot.

A play upon words
the use of a word in such a way as to be capable of double meaning; punning. - Bacon.

Play of colors
prismatic variation of colors.

To bring into play
to bring or come into use or exercise.

To hold in play
to keep occupied or employed.

I, with two more to help me,
Will hold the foe in play.

- Macaulay.

Noun	1.	play - a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage; "he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway" Synonyms: drama, dramatic play
	2.	play - a theatrical performance of a drama; "the play lasted two hours"
	3.	play - a preset plan of action in team sports; "the coach drew up the plays for her team"
	4.	play - a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill; "he made a great maneuver"; "the runner was out on a play by the shortstop" Synonyms: maneuver, manoeuvre
	5.	play - a state in which action is feasible; "the ball was still in play"; "insiders said the company's stock was in play"
	6.	play - utilization or exercise; "the play of the imagination"
	7.	play - an attempt to get something; "they made a futile play for power"; "he made a bid to gain attention" Synonyms: bid
	8.	play - play by children that is guided more by imagination than by fixed rules; "Freud believed in the utility of play to a small child" Synonyms: child's play
	9.	play - (in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds; "rain stopped play in the 4th inning" Synonyms: period of play, playing period
	10.	play - the removal of constraints; "he gave free rein to his impulses"; "they gave full play to the artist's talent" Synonyms: free rein
	11.	play - a weak and tremulous light; "the shimmer of colors on iridescent feathers"; "the play of light on the water" Synonyms: shimmer
	12.	play - verbal wit (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously); "he became a figure of fun" Synonyms: fun, sport
	13.	play - movement or space for movement; "there was too much play in the steering wheel" Synonyms: looseness
	14.	play - 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" Synonyms: frolic, gambol, romp, caper
	15.	play - 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" Synonyms: gambling, gaming
	16.	play - the activity of doing something in an agreed succession; "it is my turn"; "it is still my play" Synonyms: turn
	17.	play - the act using a sword (or other weapon) vigorously and skillfully Synonyms: swordplay
Verb	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.	play - 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" Synonyms: act, represent
	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 - replay (as a melody); "Play it again, Sam"; "She played the third movement very beautifully" Synonyms: spiel
	7.	play - perform music on (a musical instrument); "He plays the flute"; "Can you play on this old recorder?"
	8.	play - pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind; "He acted the idiot"; "She plays deaf when the news are bad" Synonyms: act as, act
	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 - engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion; "On weekends I play"; "The students all recreate alike" Synonyms: recreate
	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 - 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" Synonyms: toy
	17.	play - behave in a certain way; "play safe"; "play it safe"; "play fair"
	18.	play - cause to emit recorded sounds; "They ran the tapes over and over again"; "Can you play my favorite record?" Synonyms: run
	19.	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" Synonyms: diddle, toy, fiddle
	20.	play - use to one's advantage; "She plays on her clients' emotions"
	21.	play - consider not very seriously; "He is trifling with her"; "She plays with the thought of moving to Tasmania" Synonyms: trifle, dally
	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.	play - behave carelessly or indifferently; "Play about with a young girl's affection" Synonyms: dally, toy, flirt
	24.	play - cause to move or operate freely within a bounded space; "The engine has a wheel that is playing in a rack"
	25.	play - perform on a stage or theater; "She acts in this play"; "He acted in `Julius Caesar'"; "I played in `A Christmas Carol'" Synonyms: playact, roleplay, act
	26.	play - be performed; "What's playing in the local movie theater?"; "`Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years"
	27.	play - 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" Synonyms: make for, wreak, bring, work
	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 reaces"; "play the casinos in Trouville"
	30.	play - stake on the outcome of an issue; "I bet $100 on that new horse"; "She played all her money on the dark horse" Synonyms: wager, bet
	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.	play - contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle; "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"; "Charlie likes to play Mary" Synonyms: encounter, take on, meet
	35.	play - exhaust by allowing to pull on the line; "play a hooked fish"

(language, music)

PLAY - A language for real-time music synthesis. 1977.

["An Introduction to the Play Program", J. Chadabe ete al, Computer Music J 2,1 (1978)].

To dream that you are playing, suggests your tendency to go against the norm and break the rules of convention. You have unrestricted creativity. Alternatively, it may be an indication that you are all work and no play. To dream that you are watching a play, represents the parts you play in your life and the various acts and personas you put on.ALGOL, COBOL, FORTRAN, Grand Guignol, Passion play, Tom show, abuse, accentuate, accompany, act, act a part, act as, act as foil, act out, act up, acting, action, actions, activism, activity, ad lib, affect, agree, air space, alphabetic data, alphanumeric code, ample scope, amuse, angular data, ante, ante up, antic, antimasque, ape, appear, apple-polish, appliance, application, article, artifice, assembler, assume, attention, audience success, autograph, back, ball, ballet, barnstorm, be effective, be in action, be occupied with, be responsible for, be unfaithful, beguile, behave, behavior, belittle, belly laugh, bet, bet on, betting, bicker, big time, binary digit, binary scale, binary system, bit, blank check, blue story, bluff, bomb, book, bout, brainchild, broadcast drama, brown-nose, bug, build up, burlesque show, butter up, byte, calculated risk, call, call attention to, caper, caracole, cardsharping, carouse, carry on, carry out, carry through, carte blanche, cast lots, casting lots, cause trouble, cavort, challenge, chance, charade, chord, chunk, clearance, cliff hanger, closet drama, come out, comedy drama, command pulses, commands, compete with, compiler, composition, computer code, computer language, computer printout, computer program, concertize, conduct, consider, contend with, contest, control signals, controlled quantity, cooperate, copy, coquet, correcting signals, counterfeit, court, cover, cover up, coverage, critical success, curvet, cut a dido, cut capers, cut lots, cut the cards, cut up, dabble, dally, dance, dancing, data, daytime serial, de-emphasize, deal with, decathlon, decry, delay, delectation, delight, demeanor, depict, deportment, deprecate, device, dialogue, dido, diminish, direct, dirty joke, dirty story, discourse, disparage, disport, dissemble, dissimulate, divert, do, do a bit, do with, document, documentary drama, doing, double entendre, double-header, doubles, draft, dramalogue, dramatic play, dramatic series, dramatize, draw lots, draw straws, drive, duodrama, duologue, edited version, elbowroom, emote, emotionalize, emphasize, employ, employment, enact, engage, engage in, engrossment, enjoyment, entertain, epic theater, error, error signals, essay, ethnic joke, event, execute, exercise, exert, experimental theater, exploit, extemporize, extravaganza, fade, failure, fair copy, fake, feedback pulses, feedback signals, feign, feint, fiction, fiddle, fiddle with, fiddle-faddle, fidget, fidget with, field, film data, final draft, finesse, finger with, finished version, first draft, flatter, flexibility, flicker, flickering, flickering light, flier, flimsy, flirt, flop, flounce, flutter, fluttering, fool, fool around, fool with, fortune, four-flush, foursome, free course, free hand, free play, free scope, freedom, fribble, frisk, frivol, frivolity, frolic, full scope, full swing, fun and games, function, functioning, funmaking, funny story, gag, gambit, gamble, gambling, gambol, games of chance, gaming, gammon, gasser, get top billing, gimmick, give, giveaway, glancing light, go, go along with, good one, good story, good time, great fun, gush, handbook, handle, happening, have effect, have free play, have fun, have play, hazard, hazarding, headroom, hesitate, hexadecimal system, high old time, high time, highlight, histrionize, hit, hit show, holograph, horse around, horseplay, howler, idle, impersonate, impose on, improvisational drama, improvise, information, input data, input quantity, instructions, interpret, jape, jerk off, jest, jestbook, jet, jockey, join in, joke, kid around, lambency, latitude, laugh, laughs, lay, lay a wager, lay down, leeway, legitimate drama, let on, let on like, letter, light show, literae scriptae, literary artefact, literary production, literature, loiter, long rope, looseness, lot, lovely time, luck, lucubration, machine language, make, make a bet, make a pretense, make as if, make believe, make go, make light of, make like, make music, make out like, make use of, malfunction, manage, maneuver, maneuvering space, manipulate, manuscript, margin, masque, masquerade as, match, match coins, matter, meet, meet a bet, melodrama, merrymaking, mess around, mess with, message, militate, mime, mimic, minimize, minstrel show, miracle, miracle play, misbehave, misuse, monkey, monkey around, monkey business, monodrama, monologue, morality, morality play, motion, move, movement, movements, multiple messages, music drama, musical revue, mystery, mystery play, no holds barred, noise, nonfiction, numeric data, occupation, octal system, open space, opera, operate, operation, operations, opus, original, oscillograph data, output data, output quantity, overact, pageant, panel show, panic, pantomime, paper, parchment, parlay, participate, participate in, pass, pass for, pastoral, pastoral drama, patter, pentathlon, percolate, perform, perform on, perk, personate, philander, picnic, piddle, piece, piece of writing, pilot, place, play a part, play a scene, play against, play around, play at dice, play ball, play by ear, play down, play for time, play of light, play on, play possum, play the game, play the lead, play the ponies, play up, play up to, play with, play-off, playact, playing, playlet, pleasant time, pleasure, ploy, plunge, ply, poem, point, polar data, portray, pose as, potter, practice, praxis, pretend, pretend to be, printed matter, printout, problem play, proceed, procrastinate, production, profess, psychodrama, punch-card data, punt, put, put on, put on airs, putter, quiver, quivering, quiz show, race, radio drama, raffle off, random data, range, reading matter, recension, recreate, rectangular data, reference quantity, register, render, revelry, review, revue, rib tickler, riot, risk, risking, rival, rollick, romp, room, room to spare, rope, ruly English, run, run around, runoff, scope, scream, screed, scrip, script, scrive, scroll, sea room, second draft, see, see to, sensational play, serial, serve, set, sham, shoot craps, shot, sick joke, sidesplitter, sight gag, signals, simulate, single messages, singles, sitcom, situation comedy, sketch, skip, skit, skylarking, sleep around, smatter, soap, soap opera, sociodrama, soft-soap, sortition, space, spare room, spectacle, speculate, speculation, spew, spit, sporting, sportiveness, spotlight, spout, spray, spritz, spurt, spurtle, squirt, stage play, stage show, stake, staking, stall for time, stand pat, star, steal the show, steer, stooge, story, straight drama, stratagem, stress, success, suck up to, surge, suspense drama, swing, symphonize, tableau, tableau vivant, take, take advantage of, take care of, take effect, take off, take on, take part in, take up, talk show, tease, teleplay, television drama, television play, temporize, the written word, theater of cruelty, think about, think nothing of, threesome, tick, tinker, toady to, tolerance, tomfoolery, toss, total theater, toy, toy with, trade on, transcript, transcription, tread the boards, treatment, trifle, trifle with, trip, troupe, truckle to, tug the heartstrings, twiddle, twosome, typescript, uncertainty, underline, underscore, undertake, unorganized data, upstage, use, utilize, variety show, vaudeville, vaudeville show, vehicle, venture, version, vie with, visible-speech data, visual joke, vomit, vomit forth, vomit out, wager, wagering, waver, way, wear, well, wheeze, wide berth, wield, wile, wing it, womanize, word-of-mouth success, work together, working, workings, wow, writing, yarn

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