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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Play: Verb & Noun Definitions, Examples, Usage (3 meaning)

Meaning 1：engage in recreation (Play)

Play 🔊

/pleɪ/

v. & n.

To do an activity for fun or enjoyment, like a game or sport.

engage in recreation 🔊

➕

/ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ ɪn ˌrɛkriˈeɪʃən/

v. & n.

To take part in an activity for amusement, such as games or sports.

📁 Category：Entertainment & Sports 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'plegian' meaning to exercise or frolic.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of playing a game or playing music – both imply active enjoyment.

📖 Example

The children play in the park every afternoon after school. 🔊 The children play in the park every afternoon after school.

🔗 Collocations

play a game – engage in a structured activity with rules

play outside – enjoy recreation outdoors

play with friends – interact playfully with peers

🔄 Synonyms

frolic (v.) – to play and move about cheerfully

recreate (v.) – to engage in an activity for enjoyment

🚫 Antonyms

work (v.) – to engage in productive or laborious activity

🌱 Derivatives

player (n.) – a person who takes part in a game or sport

playful (adj.) – full of fun and high spirits

📖 Cultural Story

The theatrical sense of 'play' emerged in the 14th century, rooted in the idea of dramatic performance as recreation. Shakespeare's works popularized the term.

Meaning 2：perform (music) (Play)

Play 🔊

/pleɪ/

v. & n.

To make music with an instrument; or to make a device produce sound or video.

perform (music) 🔊

➕

/pərˈfɔːrm (ˈmjuːzɪk)/

v. & n.

To produce sounds from a musical instrument or operate a device for audio/video output.

📁 Category：Entertainment & Sports 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Could you play some light music on your phone while we study? 🔊 Could you play some light music on your phone while we study?

🔗 Collocations

play the piano – perform music on a piano

play a song – cause a recording to be heard

play a video – start playback of a video file

🔄 Synonyms

perform (v.) – to carry out a musical piece

strum (v.) – to play a stringed instrument casually

🚫 Antonyms

stop (v.) – to cease the production of sound or video

🌱 Derivatives

playback (n.) – the reproduction of recorded audio or video

player (n.) – a device that plays media

Meaning 3：theatrical performance (Play)

Play 🔊

/pleɪ/

v. & n.

A story written for actors to perform on a stage; also the performance itself.

theatrical performance 🔊

➕

/θiˈætrɪkəl pərˈfɔːrməns/

v. & n.

A written dramatic work intended for stage presentation, or the actual staging of such work.

📁 Category：Culture & History 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

The school drama club is putting on a play written by a local writer next month. 🔊 The school drama club is putting on a play written by a local writer next month.

🔗 Collocations

a stage play – a drama performed on a theater stage

put on a play – to organize and present a theatrical production

playwright – a person who writes plays

🔄 Synonyms

drama (n.) – a composition in prose or verse presenting a story in dialogue

performance (n.) – an act of staging a theatrical work

🚫 Antonyms

film (n.) – a motion picture, as opposed to a live stage play

🌱 Derivatives

playhouse (n.) – a theater where plays are performed

subplot (n.) – a secondary plot in a play or story