" play "

1: to engage in activity for amusement;

  * e.g., " ... told her son that he needed some time to run and play in the yard after his hard work "

•  Synonyms : 

•  dally,

•  disport,

•  frolic,

•  recreate,

•  rollick,

•  skylark,

•  sport,

•  toy

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

2: to present a portrayal or performance of;

  * e.g., " ... played Hamlet in the campus production of the classic "

•  Synonyms : 

•  act,

•  do,

•  impersonate,

•  interpret,

•  perform,

•  portray

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

3: to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior;

  * e.g., " ... stop playing the innocent, because I know that you were behind that prank "

•  Synonyms : 

•  act,

•  impersonate,

•  masquerade (as),

•  personate,

•  pose (as)

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

1: to take unfair advantage of;

  * e.g., " ... the candidate played on the voters' prejudices "

•  Synonyms : 

•  abuse,

•  capitalize (on),

•  cash in (on),

•  exploit,

•  impose (on or upon),

•  leverage,

•  milk,

•  pimp,

•  use,

•  work

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

1: to control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means;

  * e.g., " ... played upon the customer's vanity to convince her to buy the expensive makeup kit "

•  Synonyms : 

•  exploit,

•  manipulate

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

1: to handle thoughtlessly, ignorantly, or mischievously;

  * e.g., " ... please don't play with the telephone "

•  Synonyms : 

•  diddle (with),

•  fiddle (with),

•  fool (with),

•  mess (with),

•  monkey (with),

•  tamper (with),

•  tinker (with),

•  toy (with),

•  twiddle (with)

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

1: as in fool around, cat (around);

•  Synonyms : 

•  cat (around),

•  fool around,

•  fornicate,

•  tomcat (around),

•  womanize,

•  cheat,

•  philander,

•  screw around,

•  step out,

•  copulate,

•  couple,

•  lie,

•  make out,

•  mate,

•  sleep,

•  lust

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

1: to express scornfully one's low opinion of;

  * e.g., " ... out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments "

•  Synonyms : 

•  bad-mouth,

•  belittle,

•  cry down,

•  decry,

•  denigrate,

•  deprecate,

•  depreciate,

•  derogate,

•  diminish,

•  dis,

•  discount,

•  dismiss,

•  disparage,

•  kiss off,

•  minimize,

•  poor-mouth,

•  put down,

•  run down,

•  talk down,

•  trash,

•  trash-talk,

•  vilipend,

•  write off

•  Antonyms : 

•  acclaim,

•  applaud,

•  exalt,

•  extol,

•  glorify,

•  laud,

•  magnify,

•  praise

2: to reduce in apparent importance;

  * e.g., " ... if you play down your part in the project, you won't get the credit you deserve "

•  Synonyms : 

•  de-emphasize,

•  downplay,

•  soft-pedal

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

1: activity engaged in to amuse oneself;

  * e.g., " ... it's such a delight to watch the children in their play "

•  Synonyms : 

•  dalliance,

•  frolic,

•  frolicking,

•  fun,

•  fun and games,

•  recreation,

•  relaxation,

•  rollicking,

•  sport

•  Antonyms : 

•  earnest

2: a written work in which the story is told through speech and action that is intended to be acted out on stage;

  * e.g., " ... we'll be putting on a school play using that stage "

•  Synonyms : 

•  drama,

•  dramatization

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

3: an attitude or manner not to be taken seriously;

  * e.g., " ... I didn't mean to insult anyone, for it was all just play "

•  Synonyms : 

•  fun,

•  game,

•  jest,

•  sport

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

1: as in semifinal, final;

•  Synonyms : 

•  final,

•  nightcap,

•  semifinal,

•  championship,

•  national(s),

•  derby,

•  field day,

•  gymkhana,

•  open,

•  outing,

•  battle,

•  conflict,

•  scrimmage,

•  skirmish,

•  struggle,

•  tug-of-war,

•  tussle,

•  biathlon,

•  decathlon,

•  heptathlon,

•  pentathlon,

•  triathlon,

•  athletics,

•  sport,

•  marathon,

•  race,

•  ultramarathon,

•  bout,

•  competition,

•  contest,

•  event,

•  game,

•  match,

•  matchup,

•  meet,

•  sweepstakes,

•  tournament,

•  tourney,

•  heat,

•  round,

•  run,

•  set,

•  rally,

•  volley

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

1: as in semifinals, finals;

•  Synonyms : 

•  finals,

•  nightcaps,

•  semifinals,

•  championships,

•  nationals,

•  derbies,

•  field days,

•  gymkhanas,

•  outings,

•  battles,

•  conflicts,

•  scrimmages,

•  skirmishes,

•  struggles,

•  tugs-of-war,

•  tussles,

•  biathlons,

•  decathlons,

•  heptathlons,

•  pentathlons,

•  triathlons,

•  athletics,

•  sports,

•  marathons,

•  races,

•  ultramarathons,

•  bouts,

•  competitions,

•  contests,

•  events,

•  games,

•  matches,

•  matchups,

•  meets,

•  sweepstakes,

•  tournaments,

•  tourneys,

•  heats,

•  rounds,

•  runs,

•  sets,

•  rallies,

•  volleys

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

1: a series of explanations or observations on something (as an event);

  * e.g., " ... on Monday mornings she usually gives her coworkers a detailed play-by-play on how her weekend date went "

•  Synonyms : 

•  analysis,

•  comment,

•  commentary,

•  exposition

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)