Play

King James Dictionary

PLAY,

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.  Exodus 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, 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, n. 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.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): ( n.) Any exercise, or series of actions, intended for amusement or diversion; a game.

(2): ( n.) To act with levity or thoughtlessness; to trifle; to be careless.

(3): ( n.) To engage in sport or lively recreation; to exercise for the sake of amusement; to frolic; to spot.

(4): ( v. t.) 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.

(5): ( n.) To contend, or take part, in a game; as, to play ball; hence, to gamble; as, he played for heavy stakes.

(6): ( n.) To perform on an instrument of music; as, to play on a flute.

(7): ( n.) To act; to behave; to practice deception.

(8): ( n.) To move in any manner; especially, to move regularly with alternate or reciprocating motion; to operate; to act; as, the fountain plays.

(9): ( n.) To move gayly; to wanton; to disport.

(10): ( n.) To act on the stage; to personate a character.

(11): ( v. t.) To put in action or motion; as, to play cannon upon a fortification; to play a trump.

(12): ( v. t.) To perform music upon; as, to play the flute or the organ.

(13): ( v. t.) To perform, as a piece of music, on an instrument; as, to play a waltz on the violin.

(14): ( v. t.) To bring into sportive or wanton action; to exhibit in action; to execute; as, to play tricks.

(15): ( v. t.) 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.

(16): ( n.) The representation or exhibition of a comedy or tragedy; as, he attends ever play.

(17): ( n.) 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.

(18): ( n.) Action; use; employment; exercise; practice; as, fair play; sword play; a play of wit.

(19): ( v. t.) To keep in play, as a hooked fish, in order to land it.

(20): ( n.) Amusement; sport; frolic; gambols.

(21): ( n.) A dramatic composition; a comedy or tragedy; a composition in which characters are represented by dialogue and action.

(22): ( n.) Performance on an instrument of music.

(23): ( n.) Motion; movement, regular or irregular; as, the play of a wheel or piston; hence, also, room for motion; free and easy action.

(24): ( n.) Hence, liberty of acting; room for enlargement or display; scope; as, to give full play to mirth.

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

We should not have needed any attention to this word, had the general acceptation of it in Scripture been similar to the received opinion of it among men. By play we understand pastime, or sport, or diversions; but this is not always the case in Scripture language. The word Zachach, which is rendered play, means also to mock, or insult, or fight. Thus we read, ( 2 Samuel 2:14) "Abner said to Joab, let the young men now arise and play before us." But the Scripture shews that this play was fighting; for we are told that "they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword into his fellow's side, so they fell down together; wherefore that place was called Helkath-hazzarim"—which the margin of the Bible renders "the field of strong men." And there was a very sore battle that day. So again we read, ( Exodus 32:6) that when the people had sat down to eat and drink at their sacrifices, they rose up to play. But the history itself, as well as the New Testament explanation of it, ( 1 Corinthians 10:7) shews that this play was the mockery of the Lord by the grossest idolatry. Hence, therefore, it is necessary that in our reading Scripture, we should have a right apprehension of the terms and words made use of, that we may not confound things. By play is not only meant an idle frivolity, and "jesting and foolish talking," as the apostle speaks, and which he condemns, ( Ephesians 5:4) but sometimes, as we have seen, yet much worse. Indeed play, and what the world calls amusements, even of the least offensive kind, are unsuited to dying creatures, and therefore ought not to be once mentioned among Christians professing godliness. The apostle's direction on these grounds is absolute and unaccommodating; and every truly regenerated heart wishes to adopt the same, though there had been no precept for it. ( Ephesians 5:1-31;  2 Corinthians 6:17-18)

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Παίζω (Strong'S #3815 — Verb — paizo — paheed'-zo )

properly, "to play as a child" (pais), hence denotes "to play" as in dancing and making merry,  1—Corinthians 10:7 . Cp. empaizo, "to mock."

Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types

 Exodus 32:6 (c) We may consider that this act represents the carelessness and the heedlessness of the unsaved, who while living in their sins, and enjoying evil pleasures, have no fear of GOD, no regard for His Word, and no care about their destiny.

Holman Bible Dictionary

Games

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

PLAY. —See Boyhood, vol. i. p. 222, and Games.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

( צָחִק , Tsachak,  Exodus 32:6). This word, in addition to the sense of joking or sporting ( Genesis 19:14), may also be understood of amusements, accompanied with music and singing, in which sense it may be understood in  Judges 16:25. Though we have no particular mention in the Old Testament of such matters, we may reasonably suppose that some of the games practiced by the ancient Egyptians were likewise known to the Hebrews; these appear, from the monuments, to have been mock combats, races, gymnastic exercises, singing, dancing and games of chance (Wilkinson, Anc. Egyptians, 1, 189 sq.). In the declining period of Jewish history the athletic games of the Greeks were introduced and there were gymnasia, or schools of exercise in Jerusalem, where they practiced wrestling, racing, quoits, etc. (1 Maccabees 5, 16; 1 Maccabees 2 Mance. 4:13-15). For the Grecian games of strength and skill so often alluded to by Paul, (See Games). (See Sport).