PLAYS Synonyms: 240 Similar and Opposite Words

plays 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of play

as in recreates

to engage in activity for amusement told her son that he needed some time to run and play in the yard after his hard work

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in performs

to present a portrayal or performance of played Hamlet in the campus production of the classic

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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

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as in idles

to spend time in aimless activity just played around while we waited for the bus to arrive

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as in manipulates

to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently this is how we're going to play the situation

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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

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plays

2 of 2

noun

plural of play

as in dramas

a written work in which the story is told through speech and action that is intended to be acted out on stage we'll be putting on a school play using that stage

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as in uses

the act or practice of employing something for a particular purpose the host's sense of humor was obviously in play during the awards ceremony

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as in ruses

a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end the guy at the bar made an unusually creative play to get her phone number

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of plays

Verb

Anjali Patil plays the title role and produces through her banner Anahat Films. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 Parliament’s lower house dominates the legislative process, but the Senate plays an important role in passing constitutional amendments and approving Constitutional Court judges. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026 Then a character actor who plays a private investigator blew us all out of the water on the first take, just completely out-acting us all! — Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026 Leo regularly plays tennis and swims at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, according to The Associated Press. — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026 Yeoh stars as Olwen, the dying Replicant, while Schafer plays Cora. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 11 Oct. 2026 Beyond serving as an incentive and accountability mechanism in the human academic research ecosystem, there are commercial incentives for discovery, and credit plays a different role in that setting. — Jeffrey S. Flier, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026 American Express is one of the value plays that has joined the list. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026 At the end of a work day, every commuter has the same goal and plays a role in everyone reaching that milestone. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 4 Oct. 2026

Noun

Sometimes, maybe once in every eight plays, the track scans as pure camp to me. — Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 11 Oct. 2026 The phone encounters were conceived before the pandemic, but once quarantine began, the idea of entertaining people through interactive phone plays really began to pick up steam. — Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026 That kind of performance — along with Jones making plays — represents a return to normalcy for fellow Broncos defenders. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2026 Stewart said it’s been great to see Patterson, who coached at Texas Christian for 22 seasons, trust his defensive linemen to make plays. — Jordan Puente, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026 The Hoosiers ran just 17 plays and managed 115 yards of total offense, scoring their only three points on a 42-yard field goal by Nico Radicic in the first quarter. — Ryan Canfield Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026 Meyer was the leading rusher for Waxahachie with nine carries for 85 yards, most of which came on scrambles on doomed pass plays. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2026 The Aggies didn’t have a drive longer than six plays, or 23 yards, until the final period. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2026 The Cyclones then went 74 yards in six plays, with Flora scoring from 2 yards out for the final margin. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays

Verb

By sticking to the transcripts, McCarthy recreates a dialogue that was never meant to be heard by ordinary ears.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
But her relatives gave more than off-camera tips as Ba’s Book recreates the director’s father and his life in Vietnam alongside his relatives on camera.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of recreates

Verb

In any event, Rothe is crossing her fingers that River’s January box office run performs well enough to reignite talks with Blumhouse and Universal about bringing Landon’s time-loop slasher franchise back to life.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
One day, after Pi-o performs at a hospital, a doctor approaches him to ask how Jeong-yo is doing.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of performs

Verb

We are presented with a few potentially hissable villains, including an attorney for the state (Christian Rubeck) who mocks the Gheorghius’ faith and a frostily inflexible social worker, Gunda (Ellen Dorrit Petersen).

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is designed as an action flick as well as a portrait of a family dealing with tragedy and an insider’s look at an insular community that mocks harmful stereotypes without perpetrating them.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of mocks

Verb

As your car idles, warm air blown from the top of your dashboard will melt the ice on the outside of the windshield.

— Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025
Security camera footage shows a black vehicle park in front of Café Bernardo, a restaurant, and idles for about two minutes.

— Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2025

Definition of idles

Verb

The series follows Mónica, a newly qualified lawyer who learns to defraud clients, manipulates her family to secure an inheritance, then betrays her mentor.

— Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
In an interview with the Shade Room last year, Knight’s son, Shanga Hankerson, claimed McDowell pushed the singer into performing and manipulates her.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of manipulates

Noun

Its slate pairs four features, all set for release in 2027, with three long-form TV dramas at various stages of production.

— Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our writers recommend a miniseries about a mysterious sea creature terrorizing a small coastal town and a pair of psychological horror dramas exploring female rage.

— Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of dramas

Noun

In the meantime, African filmmakers will continue to find uses for AI tools, even as the continent’s digital infrastructure and policy frameworks are forced to play catch-up.

— Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
The measure also identifies keeping streets, parks and other public areas safe and clean as uses for the revenue.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026