played

Distinguish from sense 2: 'play football' means take part in the activity, while 'play against France' emphasises the opponent you face. When the opponent is named, you can say 'play + [team]' informally (e.g. 'We play France next week').

Common in ball sports (baseball, cricket, football, golf). The object is always the ball itself — you play the ball, not the player. 'Play a pass' is a common extension meaning to send the ball to a teammate.

The metaphorical expression 'play your cards right' (handle a situation skillfully) derives from this sense but is an idiom, not a literal use.

The preposition 'in' introduces the production (film/play/series), while 'as' or the direct object introduces the character. 'Play yourself' means to appear as a fictional version of yourself.

This sense almost always uses an adjective or noun phrase after 'play' (play + adjective: play nice, play fair; play + noun phrase: play the hero, play the victim). The adjective describes the pretended state.

The object of the deception can appear after 'on' ('play a trick on someone') or directly ('play someone for a fool'). 'Play on' followed by an emotion (fear, guilt, sympathy) means to use that emotion to manipulate someone.

Always used with a noun phrase like 'a part', 'a role', or 'into' — never alone (*'Good teamwork played'). The noun phrase describes the degree or kind of contribution.

When referring to a specific instrument as a general skill, British English uses 'the' (play the piano), while American English often omits it (play piano). When naming the music itself, no article is used: 'play Mozart', 'play jazz'.

This sense applies to any electronic media: audio files, videos, DVDs, streaming content. The machine does not have to be on — 'play' also covers starting the playback.

Often used in descriptive or literary contexts. The subject can be a person actively directing something (firefighter playing a hose) or a natural phenomenon moving across a surface (sunlight playing on water). The light/water sense is more common in written than spoken English.

Subject is always a visible phenomenon (light, shadow, smile, expression) that appears only briefly. Unlike sense 12, where a person actively directs a beam or stream, this sense is intransitive — the phenomenon moves by itself. Commonly followed by a prepositional phrase of location: across, over, on, at, through. More common in literary or descriptive writing than in everyday speech.

The object is typically the domain where money is risked (the stock market, the horses, the slots) rather than the amount of money bet. 'Play the horses' is a fixed expression for betting on horse races. This sense overlaps with 'gamble', but 'play' can sound slightly less serious or more casual.

Uncountable in this sense. Often paired with adjectives describing the style ('fair play', 'foul play', 'open play'). 'In play' and 'out of play' describe whether the ball is legally in the game area.

Countable noun. In team sports (especially American football, basketball) a 'play' is a planned move. In board and card games it refers to a single move or turn.

Uncountable. Common in child-development contexts ('play therapy', 'play-based learning'). Distinguished from sense 2 (sports) by its focus on non-competitive, imaginative activity.

Often used in literary descriptions of light, colour, or shadow ('play of light').

Uncountable. Common in mechanical and engineering contexts. Distinguished from free movement (index 5) by its narrower technical meaning: measurable clearance in mechanical parts.