“plays” is a form of
play
/pleɪ̯/ [pɫ̥eɪ̯ ~ pʰɫeɪ̯] verb, noun, proper noun
- verb (intransitive) To act in a manner such that one has fun; to engage in activities expressly for the purpose of recreation or entertainment. “The children played in the park.”
- verb (intransitive, especially with 'with'; see also play with) To toy or trifle; to act with levity or thoughtlessness; to be careless. “Don't play with your food!”
- verb (transitive, intransitive) To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game). “He plays on three teams.”
- verb Specifying a particular sporting role or position. “He plays left back for Mudchester Rovers”
- verb (transitive) To compete against, in a game. “We're playing one of the top teams in the next round.”
- verb (transitive, in the scoring of games and sports) To be the opposing score to. “Look at the score now ... 23 plays 8!”
- verb (intransitive) To contend or fight using weapons, both as practice or in real life-or-death combats; to engage in martial games; to joust; to fence
- verb (intransitive, copulative) To act or behave in a stated way. “to play safe, to play fair, to play dirty”
- noun (uncountable, formerly countable) Activity for amusement only, especially among the young. “Children learn through play.”
- noun (uncountable) Similar activity in young animals, as they explore their environment and learn new skills. “This kind of play helps the young lion cubs develop their hunting skills.”
- noun (uncountable) The conduct, or course, of a game. “Play was very slow in the first half.”
- noun (uncountable, sports, video games, with certain prepositions, also figurative) The sphere or circumstance in which a playing implement, such as a ball, is played or available to be played (see also in play, out of play). “In potting the yellow ball, he's knocked the green into play.”
- noun (uncountable) An individual's performance in a sport or game. “His play has improved a lot this season.”
- noun (countable) A short sequence of action within a game. “That was a great play by the Mudchester Rovers forward.”
- noun (turn-based games) An action carried out when it is one's turn to play.
- noun (countable) A literary composition, intended to be represented by actors impersonating the characters and speaking the dialogue. “This book contains all of Shakespeare's plays.”
- proper noun (stock ticker symbol) Dave & Buster's.
Synonyms
cook jam put on defraud get it on make out have sex approach cohabit common company copulate couple engage in sex exchange flesh have intimate relations have marital relations have sexual relations intercourse know drama dramatic play maneuver manoeuvre bid child's play playing period period of play free rein shimmer
Etymology
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.
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”), German pflegen (“to care for, be concerned with, attend to, tend”). Related also to Old English plēon (“to risk, endanger”). More at plight, pledge.
The noun is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, plega, plæġa (“play, quick motion, movement, exercise; (athletic) sport, game; festivity, drama; battle; gear for games, an implement for a game; clapping with the hands, applause”), deverbative of plegian (“to play”); see above.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To engage in sport or lively recreation; to exercise for the sake of amusement; to frolic; to spot.
- verb To act with levity or thoughtlessness; to trifle; to be careless.
- verb To put in action or motion; as, to play cannon upon a fortification; to play a trump.
- verb To perform music upon; as, to play the flute or the organ.
Etymology [OE. pleien, AS. plegian, plegan, to play, akin to plega play, game, quick motion, and probably to OS. plegan to promise, pledge, D. plegen to care for, attend to, be wont, G. pflegen; of unknown origin. sq. root28. Cf. Plight, n.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “play”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details