plays 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of play
1
2
3
as in mocks
to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior stop playing the innocent, because I know that you were behind that prank

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
5
6
as in puts
to risk (something) on the outcome of an uncertain event figuring that she had little to lose, she played her last few bucks on the state lottery

Synonyms & Similar Words

plays

2 of 2

noun

plural of play

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays
Verb
  • The exhibition recreates the Israeli music festival with items salvaged from the scene and witness testimonies, while asking participants to seek the return of the hostages taken at the festival.
    Martin Vassolo, Axios, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Phil Hoad recreates the story for us with a great sense of pacing and style, taking in not just the main elements of the tale, but expanding his aperture to explore the larger treasure-hunting subculture.
    Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 3 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • First, there are those who lip-sync – like Kili Paul, a Tanzanian social media star who performs Bollywood and other movie hits against the backdrop of his rural community — a mix of greenery and low-slung buildings.
    Ari Daniel, NPR, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Blue Ivy performs alongside her mom Beyoncé and Jay-Z's 12-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter was alongside her mom during the big halftime show.
    Caché McClay, The Enquirer, 27 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Hughes says the study puts the political attention on this group into perspective.
    Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR, 6 Jan. 2025
  • This model has the ability to bring great value to patients and puts more accountability on healthcare providers to deliver valuable outcomes more than ever before.
    Zameer Rizvi, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • While technically a chapter of Steve McQueen's straight-to-streaming Small Axe, few recent-era courtroom dramas feel as cinematic, getting its name from the titular Notting Hill restaurant in London—a hub for activists in the late 60s.
    Tomris Laffly, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
  • No one foresaw the runaway success of Squid Game, which was meant to be, like other South Korean dramas, a one-off.
    Chad de Guzman, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • King So portrays May Tao, a local journalist with a healthy distrust of the Wausau Police who harbors big secrets of her own.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 Dec. 2024
  • Little portrays Deputy Brent, Dana’s closest confidant on the force.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The purpose of this article is to offer readers a glimpse into how AI interprets the dynamic world of investing.
    Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 19 Dec. 2024
  • From there, a program trained with machine learning almost instantaneously identifies and interprets the electrical signature.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Ruth manages to solve that only for Remy and Mike to start fist fighting among the barrels and against the tanker, and then Gary (Meegwun Fairbrother) shows up just as Ruth gets a critical call about her husband’s medical condition.
    Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 7 Dec. 2024
  • The trick is that those outfits will be repurposed for next year’s pantomime season for one of the other pantos Harrison manages.
    Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 7 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • With the cold, dry air and indoor heating, my lips require multiple applications a day.
    Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2025
  • She was honored for designing materials for applications in solar cells, batteries, and medical imaging.
    Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near plays

Cite this Entry

“Plays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plays. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

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