plays
plural of “play” — a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
An inflected form of play · plural.
How often you will meet it
Rank 2,808 of 86,757 words measured. It occurs 47,512 times across 426,181 published chapters — 0.003% of every word in the library.
What it means
noun
- a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage also: drama, dramatic play he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway
- a theatrical performance of a drama the play lasted two hours
- a preset plan of action in team sports the coach drew up the plays for her team
- a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill also: maneuver, manoeuvre he made a great maneuverthe runner was out on a play by the shortstop
- a state in which action is feasible the ball was still in playinsiders said the company's stock was in play
- utilization or exercise the play of the imagination
plays in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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He comes here often, and plays among the flowers of the hill-side.
The Mouse and The Moonbeam · Eugene Field · Chapter 1
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He leaves Cayenne pepper in his tracks, which plays the devil with the hounds, and off he gets.
Harrington: A Story of True Love · William Douglas O'Connor · Chapter 1
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Never (if you can avoid it) lose a game to a person who rarely wins when he plays with you.
Maxims and Hints on Angling, Chess, Shooting, and Other Matters · Richard Penn · Chapter 1
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In the rhymed heroic plays, as they were called, he found just the sphere in which he was most qualified to excel.
An English Garner · Edward [Editor] Arber · Chapter 1
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She plays with her ruin, and views with a thoughtless and a partial eye the murderer of her virtue and her happiness.
Italian Letters, Vols. I and II · William Godwin · Chapter 1