The body
Synonyms for play
Synonyms for play: toy, gaming, bet, bid, fiddle, frolic, maneuver, recreate, shimmer and sport. Every one of them is a hand audited pair from the Synonym Stack word bank, shown below in the sense it fits, in a real sentence, and beside the words that only look close.
The 10 synonyms for play
Interchangeable with play, one per sense
Audited under play's own entry, so the meaning quoted is the one play carries in that sense.
- toyverb, in the sense "engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously"
- gamingnoun, in the sense "the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize)"
Recorded from the other side of the pair
These entries were written under the other word and name play as the true synonym, so the sense quoted is theirs.
- betbet is a verb in the sense "stake on the outcome of an issue"
- bidbid is a noun in the sense "an attempt to get something"
- fiddlefiddle is a verb in the sense "manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination"
- frolicfrolic is a noun in the sense "gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement"
- maneuvermaneuver is a noun in the sense "a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill"
- recreaterecreate is a verb in the sense "engage in recreational activities rather than work"
- shimmershimmer is a noun in the sense "a weak and tremulous light"
- sportsport is a noun in the sense "verbal wit or mockery (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously)"
Two directions, one standard: two audited under play and eight under the partner word. Nothing here was expanded out of a thesaurus.
engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously
Play the stock market.
play in 2 more sentences, same sense
- The new manager decided to play with quarterly budgets instead of planning them with any real care.
- In her letter she confessed that she used to play with people's feelings before she learned to be honest.
How it behaves: In this sense play usually takes a direct object or a 'with' phrase naming a serious pursuit, and it carries an informal, often mildly disapproving tone.
The true synonym
toy
Same sentence, swapped: Toy the stock market.
Close but different
The game shows these three beside the answer. Each is a real word with a real meaning and none of them fits the slot play is in above, which is the point the reason line makes.
- run
- bring
- deal
the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize)
There was heavy play at the blackjack table.
The true synonym
gaming
Same sentence, swapped: There was heavy gaming at the blackjack table.
Close but different
The game offers these three alongside the answer. They are close enough to tempt and wrong enough to be wrong, which is the whole design.
- turn
- fun
- game
Where play turns up in the game
play is the word under test in two puzzles, spread across two difficulty tiers. It also sits on the board as one of the three wrong tiles in five other puzzles, where the answer is a different word entirely.
4 of the 5 puzzles where play is the trap
- bringverb, Tier 1, Foothills. The answer there is get, in the sense "go or come after and bring or take back", and play is one of the three tiles that lose.
- businessnoun, Tier 1, Foothills. The answer there is job, in the sense "the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money", and play is on the board beside it.
- meetverb, Tier 1, Foothills. The answer there is fit, in the sense "fill, satisfy or meet a want or need or condition or restriction", with play sitting one tile away.
- trynoun, Tier 1, Foothills. The answer there is effort, in the sense "earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something", so play is there to be ruled out.
Play play
The bank on this page is the bank the game plays from, so play reaches you as a board rather than a definition: the sentence first, four tiles, and the meaning after you choose.
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Neighbours by theme before neighbours by difficulty, because the body is the company play keeps.
A reason under every answer, not just a right answer
Synonym Stack plays from this exact bank. play carries 1 written reason line, and the game shows them the moment a round ends, whichever tile you tapped.