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Webster 1913 Edition

Play

Play

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Played
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Playing
.]
[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. √28. Cf.
Plight
,
Noun.
]
1.
To engage in sport or lively recreation; to exercise for the sake of amusement; to frolic; to spot.
As Cannace was
playing
in her walk.
Chaucer.
The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day,
Had he thy reason, would he skip and
play
!
Pope.
And some, the darlings of their Lord,
Play
smiling with the flame and sword.
Keble.
2.
To act with levity or thoughtlessness; to trifle; to be careless.
“Nay,” quod this monk, “I have no lust to
pleye
.”
Chaucer.
Men are apt to
play
with their healths.
Sir W. Temple.
3.
To contend, or take part, in a game;
as, to
play
ball
; hence, to gamble;
as, he
played
for heavy stakes
.
4.
To perform on an instrument of music;
as, to
play
on a flute
.
One that . . . can
play
well on an instrument.
Ezek. xxxiii. 32.
Play
, my friend, and charm the charmer.
Granville.
5.
To act; to behave; to practice deception.
His mother
played
false with a smith.
Shakespeare
6.
To move in any manner; especially, to move regularly with alternate or reciprocating motion; to operate; to act;
as, the fountain
plays
.
The heart beats, the blood circulates, the lungs
play
.
Cheyne.
7.
To move gayly; to wanton; to disport.
Even as the waving sedges
play
with wind.
Shakespeare
The setting sun
Plays
on their shining arms and burnished helmets.
Addison.
All fame is foreign but of true desert,
Plays
round the head, but comes not to the heart.
Pope.
8.
To act on the stage; to personate a character.
A lord will hear your
play
to-night.
Shakespeare
Courts are theaters where some men
play
.
Donne.
To play into a person’s hands
,
to act, or to manage matters, to his advantage or benefit.
–
To play off
,
to affect; to feign; to practice artifice.
–
To play upon
.
(a)
To make sport of; to deceive.

Art thou alive?
Or is it fantasy that
plays upon
our eyesight.
Shakespeare
(b)
To use in a droll manner; to give a droll expression or application to; as, to play upon words.

Play

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To put in action or motion;
as, to
play
cannon upon a fortification; to
play
a trump.
First Peace and Silence all disputes control,
Then Order
plays
the soul.
Herbert.
2.
To perform music upon;
as, to
play
the flute or the organ
.
3.
To perform, as a piece of music, on an instrument;
as, to
play
a waltz on the violin
.
4.
To bring into sportive or wanton action; to exhibit in action; to execute;
as, to
play
tricks
.
Nature here
Wantoned as in her prime, and
played
at will
Her virgin fancies.
Milton.
5.
To act or perform (a play); to represent in music action;
as, to
play
a comedy
; also, to act in the character of; to represent by acting; to simulate; to behave like;
as, to
play
King Lear; to
play
the woman.
Thou canst
play
the rational if thou wilt.
Sir W. Scott.
6.
To engage in, or go together with, as a contest for amusement or for a wager or prize;
as, to
play
a game at baseball
.
7.
To keep in play, as a hooked fish, in order to land it.
To play hob
,
to play the part of a mischievous spirit; to work mischief.
–
To play off
,
to display; to show; to put in exercise; as, to play off tricks.
–
To play one's cards
,
to manage one's means or opportunities; to contrive.
–
Played out
,
tired out; exhausted; at the end of one's resources.
[Colloq.]

Play

,
Noun.
1.
Amusement; sport; frolic; gambols.
2.
Any exercise, or series of actions, intended for amusement or diversion; a game.
John naturally loved rough
play
.
Arbuthnot.
3.
The act or practice of contending for victory, amusement, or a prize, as at dice, cards, or billiards; gaming;
as, to lose a fortune in
play
.
4.
Action; use; employment; exercise; practice;
as, fair
play
; sword
play
; a
play
of wit.
“The next who comes in play.”
Dryden.
5.
A dramatic composition; a comedy or tragedy; a composition in which characters are represented by dialogue and action.
A
play
ought to be a just image of human nature.
Dryden.
6.
The representation or exhibition of a comedy or tragedy;
as, he attends ever
play
.
7.
Performance on an instrument of music.
8.
Motion; movement, regular or irregular;
as, the
play
of a wheel or piston
; hence, also, room for motion; free and easy action.
“To give them play, front and rear.”
Milton.
The joints are let exactly into one another, that they have no
play
between them.
Moxon.
9.
Hence, liberty of acting; room for enlargement or display; scope;
as, to give full
play
to mirth
.
Play actor
,
an actor of dramas.
Prynne.
–
Play debt
,
a gambling debt.
Arbuthnot.
–
Play pleasure
,
idle amusement.
[Obs.]
Bacon.
–
A play upon words
,
the use of a word in such a way as to be capable of double meaning; punning.
–
Play of colors
,
prismatic variation of colors.
–
To bring into play
,
To come into play
,
to bring or come into use or exercise.
–
To hold in play
,
to keep occupied or employed.
I, with two more to help me,
Will
hold
the foe
in play
.
Macaulay.

Webster 1828 Edition

Play

PLAY

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To use any exercise for pleasure or recreation; to do something not as a task or for profit, but for amusement; as, to play at cricket.
The people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. Ex.32.
2.
To sport; to frolick; to frisk.
The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to day,
Had he thy reason, would he skip and play?
3.
To toy; to act with levity.
4.
To trifle; to act wantonly and thoughtlessly.
Men are apt to play with their healths and their lives as they do with their clothes.
5.
To do something fanciful; to give a fanciful turn to; as, to play upon words.
6.
To make sport,or practice sarcastic merriment.
I would make use of it rather to play upon those I despise,than trifle with those I love.
7.
To mock; to practice illusion.
Art thou alive,
Or is it fancy plays upon our eyesight?
8.
To contend in a game; as, to play at cards or dice; to play for diversion; to play for money.
9.
To practice a trick or deception.
His mother played false with a smith.
10. To perform on an instrument of music; as, to play on a flute, a violin or a harpsichord.
Play, my friend, and charm the charmer.
11. To move, or to move with alternate dilatation and contraction.
The heart beats, the blood circulates, the lungs play.
12. To operate; to act. The engines play against a fire.
13. To move irregularly; to wanton.
Ev'n as the waving sedges play with wind.
The setting sun
Plays on their shining arms and burnish'd helmets.
All fame is foreign, but of true desert,
Plays round the head, but comes not to the heart.
14. To act a part on the stage; to personate a character.
A lord will hear you play to-night.
15. To represent a standing character.
Courts are theaters where some men play.
16. To act in any particular character; as, to play the fool; to play the woman; to play the man.
17. To move in any manner; to move one way and another; as any part of a machine.

PLAY

,
Verb.
T.
To put in action or motion; as, to play cannon or a fire-engine.
1.
To use an instrument of music; as, to play the flute or the organ.
2.
To act a sportive part or character.
Nature here
Wanton'd as in her prime, and play'd at will
Her virgin fancies.
3.
To act or perform by representing a character; as, to play a comedy; to play the part of king Lear.
4.
To act; to perform; as, to play our parts well on the stage of life.
5. To perform in contest for amusement or for a prize; as, to play a game at whist.
To play off, to display; to show; to put in exercise; as, to play off tricks.
To play on or upon, to deceive; to mock or to trifle with.
1.
To give a fanciful turn to.

PLAY

,
Noun.
Any exercise or series of actions intended for pleasure, amusement or diversion, as at cricket or quoit, or at blind man's buff.
1.
Amusement; sport; frolic; gambols.
Two gentle fawns at play.
2.
Game; gaming; practice of contending for victory, for amusement or for a prize, as at dice, cards or billiards.
3.
Practice in any contest; as sword-play.
He was resolved not to speak distinctly, knowing his best play to be in the dark.
John naturally loved rough play.
4. Action; use; employment; office.
--But justifies the next who comes in play.
5.
Practice; action; manner of acting in contest or negotiation; as fair play; foul play.
6.
A dramatic composition; a comedy or tragedy; a composition in which characters are represented by dialogue and action.
A play ought to be a just image of human nature.
7.
Representation or exhibition of a comedy or tragedy; as, to be at the play. He attends every play.
8.
Performance on an instrument of music.
9.
Motion; movement, regular or irregular; as the play of a wheel or piston.
10. State of agitation or discussion.
Many have been sav'd, and many may,
Who never heard this question brought in play.
11. Room for motion.
The joints are let exactly into one another, that they have no play between them.
12. Liberty of acting; room for enlargement or display; scope; as, to give full play to mirth. Let the genius have free play.

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