play

verb

/pleɪ/

动词形式

present simple I / you / we / they play	/pleɪ/ /pleɪ/
he / she / it plays	/pleɪz/ /pleɪz/
past simple played	/pleɪd/ /pleɪd/
past participle played	/pleɪd/ /pleɪd/
-ing form playing	/ˈpleɪɪŋ/ /ˈpleɪɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

of children儿童

[intransitive, transitive] to do things for pleasure, as children do; to enjoy yourself, rather than work玩耍；游戏；玩乐

You'll have to play inside today.你今天只能在屋里玩耍。
There's a time to work and a time to play.工作、玩耍皆有时。
play with somebody/something A group of kids were playing with a ball in the street.一群孩子在街上玩球。
I haven't got anybody to play with!没有人跟我玩儿！
play something Let's play a different game. 咱们玩点别的游戏吧。

Synonyms entertainmententertainment

fun
recreation
relaxation
play
pleasure
amusement

These are all words for things or activities used to entertain people when they are not working.

entertainment
films, television, music, etc. used to entertain people:
- There are three bars, with live entertainment seven nights a week.有三家酒吧每周七个晚上都有现场文艺节目。
fun
(rather informal) behaviour or activities that are not serious but are meant to be enjoyed:
- It wasn’t serious—it was all done in fun.那不是认真的，全是闹着玩的。
- We didn’t mean to hurt him. It was just a bit of fun.我们并非有意要伤害他，只不过是开个玩笑罢了。
- The lottery provides harmless fun for millions.彩票抽奖为数百万人提供无伤大雅的娱乐。
recreation
(rather formal) things people do for pleasure when they are not working:
- His only form of recreation is playing football.他唯一的娱乐就是踢足球。
relaxation
(rather formal) things people do to rest and enjoy themselves when they are not working; the ability to relax:指休闲活动、消遣：
- I go hill-walking for relaxation.我要是想放松放松，就到山上走走。

recreation or relaxation?用 recreation 还是 relaxation？Both these words can be used for a wide range of activities, physical and mental, but relaxation is sometimes used for gentler activities than recreation: I play the flute in a wind band for recreation. • I listen to music for relaxation.

play
things that people, especially children, do for pleasure rather than as work:
- the happy sounds of children at play儿童嬉戏的欢闹声
pleasure
the activity of enjoying yourself, especially in contrast to working:
- Are you in Paris for business or pleasure?你来巴黎公干还是游玩？
amusement
the fact of being entertained by something:
- What do you do for amusement round here?你在这儿以什么消遣？

Patterns

to do something for entertainment/fun/recreation/relaxation/pleasure/amusement
to provide entertainment/fun/recreation/relaxation/amusement

Culture toys and gamestoys and gamesMost young children are given toys for their birthday or at Christmas. Many regularly spend their pocket money on smaller toys. Popular toys include building bricks such as Lego, plastic farm animals, toy cars, model railways and dressing-up costumes. Many children have dolls, and several sets of clothes to dress them in. Particularly popular are Action Man figures and Barbie dolls. Babies are given rattles (= toys that make a noise when shaken), soft toys and teddy bears. Action figures, small plastic models of characters from television shows or films, are also popular. Some parents do not allow their children to have guns or other toys that represent weapons because they do not want them to think it is fun to injure or kill people.Among traditional games that are still popular are board games such as snakes and ladders and Cluedo, card games such as Happy Families and Snap, and word games such as hangman and Scrabble.Children play outside with skipping ropes, bicycles, skateboards, scooters and Rollerblades. In playgrounds there are often swings, a slide, a see-saw and a climbing frame (NAmE jungle gym) to climb on. Traditional games played outside include hopscotch, a game in which children hop over squares drawn on the ground to try to pick up a stone, and tag, in which one child runs after the others until he or she catches one of them and then that child has to chase the rest.Few people give up games completely when they become adults. Many people play card games like bridge and poker, and board games such as Scrabble, Monopoly, backgammon and chess.Games consoles and apps are very popular. Games can be played online, either against a real opponent, who is playing somewhere else on their own device, or against a computer program that can be set to a suitable level of difficulty.

The other children wouldn't let him play.其他孩子不让他玩。
The little girl was playing with her toys.这个小女孩在玩自己的玩具。
The children spent too much time playing computer games.孩子们花了太多时间玩电脑游戏。
I used to spend hours playing with Lego.我过去常常花几个小时玩乐高。

Collocations Dictionaryverb + play

let somebody

preposition

at
with

[transitive, no passive, intransitive] to pretend to be or do something for fun（为玩耍）假装，假扮

play something Let's play pirates.咱们假扮海盗玩吧。
play at something Let's play at pirates!咱们扮海盗玩吧！
play at doing something They were playing at being cowboys.他们装扮成牛仔玩。

sports/games运动；比赛

[transitive, intransitive] to be involved in a game; to compete against somebody in a game参加比赛；（同某人）比赛

play something to play football/cards踢足球/打牌
play something with/against somebody I usually play chess with my brother.我通常和我哥哥下棋。
play somebody France are playing Wales tomorrow.明天法国队和威尔士队比赛。
play somebody at something Have you played her at squash yet?你跟她打过壁球没有？
play for somebody He plays for Cleveland.他代表克利夫兰参赛。
play against somebody France are playing against Wales on Saturday.星期六法国队迎战威尔士队。
play with somebody I like football, but I don't have anyone to play with.我喜欢足球，但我没有人可以一起玩。
+ adv./prep. Evans played very well.埃文斯比赛很出色。

I've never played John at tennis.我从来没有同约翰打过网球。
She has played in every game this season.她参加了本赛季所有的比赛。
She was playing cards with her mother.她在和母亲打扑克。
These guys make the team very difficult to play against.这些家伙使他们队难以抗衡。
United are difficult to play against.与联队比赛不容易。
Do you want to play cards with me?想跟我玩纸牌吗？
Have you ever played her at chess?你跟她下过国际象棋吗？
They play basketball on Saturday mornings.他们在星期六早上打篮球。
They've played six games in the last month.他们上个月已经打了六场比赛了。
If you are interested in playing or coaching, please contact the club president.如果你对比赛或教练感兴趣，请联系俱乐部主席。
He plays golf on Sundays.他每星期天都去打高尔夫球。
Both teams played well.两个队都打得很好。
She plays for the local team.她为当地球队效力。
Matches were played on Sunday.周日进行了比赛。

Topics Games and toysa1

Collocations Dictionaryadverb

brilliantly
superbly
well
…

verb + play

learn to
teach somebody to
be difficult to
…

preposition

against
at
for
…

[intransitive] to take a particular position in a sports team（在运动队中）担当，充任

+ adv./prep. Who's playing on the wing?谁担任边锋？
+ noun I've never played right back before.我过去从来未当过右后卫。

Topics Sports: ball and racket sportsa1

[transitive] play somebody (+ adv./prep.) to include somebody in a sports team派…出场；让…加入运动队

I think we should play Matt on the wing.我认为我们应该让麦特打边锋。

[transitive] play something to make contact with the ball and hit or kick it in the way mentioned触，带，踢，击（球）

She played the ball and ran forward.她带球向前冲。
He played a backhand volley.他用反手截击球。

[transitive] play something (in chess

国际象棋

) to move a piece in chess, etc.走（子）；行（棋）

She played her bishop.她走象。

[transitive, intransitive] play (something) (in card games

纸牌游戏

) to put a card face upwards on the table, showing its value出牌

to play your ace/a trump出 A／王牌
He played out of turn!他抢出牌！

music音乐

[transitive, intransitive] to perform music on a musical instrument弹拨，吹奏（乐器）；演奏

play (something) She played Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20.她演奏了莫扎特的第一钢琴协奏曲。20.
The music is well played and beautifully recorded.音乐演奏得很好，录音也很优美。
In the distance a band was playing.远处有个乐队在演奏。
play on something He sat in the corner, playing softly on his guitar.他坐在角落里，轻轻地弹着吉他。
play something on something He played a tune on his harmonica.他用口琴吹奏了一支曲子。
play something to somebody Play that new piece to us.给我们演奏那支新曲子吧。
play somebody something Play us that new piece.给我们演奏那支新曲子吧。

Have you ever heard her play?你听过她演奏吗？
The band will be playing live in the studio.乐队将在演播室现场演奏。
a piece that is relatively easy to play比较容易演奏的乐曲
She was playing songs on her ukelele.她正在她的尤克里里琴上演奏歌曲。
Classical music was playing in the background.古典音乐在背景中演奏。
He played the bride in with ‘The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba’.他在《示巴女王的到来》中扮演新娘。

Topics Musica1

Collocations Dictionaryadverb

beautifully
brilliantly
excellently
…

verb + play

learn to
teach somebody to
be easy to
…

[transitive] play something to have the skill of performing on a musical instrument弹拨，吹奏（乐器）；演奏

Do you play a musical instrument?你玩乐器吗？
to play the piano/violin/flute演奏钢琴/小提琴/长笛
I'm learning to play sax.我正在学习演奏萨克斯管。

learning to play the violin学习拉小提琴
They learnt to dance, sing and play musical instruments.他们学会了跳舞、唱歌和演奏乐器。
In my twenties, I played trombone at a fairly high level.二十多岁的我，长号弹的水平还算高。

[transitive] play something to use an MP3 player, a CD player, etc. to make it possible to hear a song, an album, a CD, etc.播放

I played some music to drown out the noise.我放了些音乐来盖过噪音。
They're always playing that song on the radio.电台总是播放那首歌。

[intransitive] (of a song, an album, etc.) to be heard（歌曲、专辑等）被播放

My favourite song was playing on the radio.收音机里播放着我最喜爱的歌曲。

video/DVD

[intransitive, transitive] (of a video or DVD) to start working; to make a video on DVD start working开始播放；播放（光盘或视频）

These videos won't play on my computer.这些视频在我的电脑上不能播放。
play something Click below to play videos.点击下方播放视频。
Nothing happens when I try to play a DVD.我试着放DVD的时候什么都没发生。
A short video was played to the court showing the inside of the house.向法庭播放了一段展示房子内部的短片。

act/perform扮演；演出

[transitive, intransitive] to act in a play, film, etc.; to act the role of somebody（在电影、话剧中）扮角色，扮演，表演

play something to play a role/part扮演角色/角色
The part of Elizabeth was played by Cate Blanchett.伊丽莎白这一角色由凯特 · 布兰切特扮演。
He had always wanted to play Othello.他一直想扮演奥赛罗。
He was chosen to play the role of Judas.他被选中扮演犹大这个角色。
She usually plays historical characters.她通常扮演历史人物。
play opposite somebody She played opposite Brad Pitt (= she and Brad Pitt played the two leading roles).她与布拉德·皮特演对手戏。

[intransitive, transitive] to pretend to be something that you are not佯装；假装

The children were dressed as soldiers, but they were just playing.孩子们打扮成士兵，但他们只是在玩耍。
+ adj. I decided it was safer to play dead.我拿定主意装死会更安全些。
+ noun She enjoys playing the wronged wife.她很喜欢扮演受委屈的妻子。

[transitive] play the something to behave as though you are a particular type of person强调；着重说明

This is no time to play the hero.现在不是逞英雄的时候。
She always did enjoy playing the victim.她总是喜欢扮演受害者。

[intransitive] play (to somebody) (of a play or show) to be performed上演；演出

A production of ‘Carmen’ was playing to packed houses.《卡门》一剧上演场场爆满。

[transitive] play something (of a band, theatre company, etc.) to give a performance in a particular place上演；演出

The band are playing 11 cities around the country.乐队正在全国11个城市演奏。
I've played some fantastic venues.我玩过一些很棒的场地。

have effect起作用

[transitive] play a part/role (in something/in doing something) to have an effect or influence on something（在…中）发挥作用

Social media played an important part in the last election.社交媒体在上次选举中发挥了重要作用。
Farming plays a crucial role in maintaining the landscape.农业在保持景观方面起着至关重要的作用。
High environmental temperatures may also play a role.高环境温度也可能起作用。
Businesses can play their part by contributing some of their profits.企业可以通过贡献部分利润来发挥自己的作用。
All countries have a part to play in protecting the environment.所有国家在保护环境方面都有自己的责任。

Pesticides play a very important role in food production.农药在食品生产中起着非常重要的作用。
Sugar plays a major part in dental cavities.糖在蛀牙中起主要作用。
Zinc may play an important part in the health of the prostate.锌可能在前列腺健康中发挥重要作用。
The media has a role to play in informing the public debate.媒体在为公众辩论提供信息方面可以发挥作用。

trick把戏

[transitive] play a trick/tricks (on somebody) to trick somebody for fun捉弄；戏弄

Children ran around the village playing tricks.孩子们在村子里跑来跑去玩把戏。
I played a trick on him just to see his reaction.我捉弄了他一下，只是想看看他的反应。

situation局面

[transitive] play something + adv./prep. to deal with a situation in the way mentioned（以某种方式）应付，处理

He played the situation carefully for maximum advantage.他谨慎应付局面以获得最大利益。

not do something seriously

[intransitive, transitive] (often disapproving) to do something without being serious about it or putting much effort into it敷衍应付；虚与委蛇

play at something He was just playing at it before—now he's serious.他以前只是玩玩而已，现在是认真的了。
play at doing something They were playing at being villains, like in the movies.他们在扮演反派角色，就像电影里一样。
play something (with something) Officials are playing politics with farm programs.官员们正在利用农业项目玩弄政治。

be willing to help

[intransitive] (usually in negative sentences通常用于否定句) (informal) to be willing to work with other people in a helpful way, especially so that somebody can get what they want（和某人）合作

He needs another loan, but the bank won't play.他需要另一笔贷款，但是银行不愿意。

of light/a smile光；微笑

[intransitive] + adv./prep. to move or appear quickly and lightly, often changing direction or shape闪烁；浮现；掠过

Sunlight played on the surface of the lake.阳光在湖面上闪烁。
A small smile played on her lips.她嘴角挂着一丝微笑。

of fountain喷泉

[intransitive] when a fountain plays, it produces a steady stream of water喷涌；涌流

Two huge fountains were playing outside the entrance.入口外面有两个巨大的喷泉。

More Like This Verbs with two objectsVerbs with two objects

bet
bring
build
buy
cost
get
give
leave
lend
make
offer
owe
pass
pay
play
post
promise
read
refuse
sell
send
show
sing
take
teach
tell
throw
wish
write

词源Old English pleg(i)an ‘to exercise’, plega ‘brisk movement’, related to Middle Dutch pleien ‘leap for joy, dance’.

Idioms Most idioms containing play are at the entries for the nouns and adjectives in the idioms, for example play the game is at game.

have money, time, etc. to play with

(informal) to have plenty of money, time, etc. for doing something有的是金钱（或时间等）

play with yourself

(informal) to masturbate手淫

what is somebody playing at?

used to ask in an angry way about what somebody is doing（气愤时的质问语）某人在搞什么名堂？
- What do you think you are playing at?你以为你在搞什么名堂？

play

noun

/pleɪ/

Idioms

in theatre剧院

[countable] a piece of writing performed by actors in a theatre or on television or radio戏剧；剧本

a stage/radio play舞台剧/广播剧
She wrote a play for the students to perform.她写了一个剧本给学生们表演。
to put on/stage a play上演戏剧
to produce/direct a play制作/导演一部戏剧
play by somebody a play by Shakespeare一出莎士比亚的戏剧

see also morality play, mystery play, Passion play

Wordfinder

actor
audition
body double
cameo
cast
play
role
star
stuntman
understudy

Wordfinder

comedy
denouement
dialogue
drama
dramatic irony
play
scene
set
soliloquy
speech

Wordfinder

act
cast
drama
entrance
exit
line
play
role
scene
speech

They are performing a play by Pinter.他们正在上演品特的一部戏剧。
The theatre was refused permission to stage the play.剧场未获准上演这个剧。
Kate's class decided to put on a play for the school.凯特的班打算为学校演出排演一个剧目。
a play about teenage runaways关于离家出走青少年的剧本
The play is reviewed in most of today's papers.今天大多数报纸都评论了该剧。
Her script was adapted and turned into a stage play.她的剧本被改编成舞台剧。
The first version of the story was a radio play.这个故事的第一个版本是一部广播剧。
The play was first staged at the end of the 19th century.该剧于19世纪末首次上演。

Topics Film and theatrea1, TV, radio and newsa1

Collocations Dictionaryadjective

one-act
stage
radio
…

verb + play

review

preposition

play about

children儿童

[uncountable] things that people, especially children, do for pleasure rather than as work游戏；玩耍；娱乐

the importance of learning through play寓教于乐的重要性
Making time for both work and play is not easy.为工作和娱乐腾出时间并不容易。
at play the happy sounds of children at play 儿童嬉戏的欢闹声
The site offers sports facilities, including tennis courts, and a children's play area.该网站提供运动设施，包括网球场和儿童游乐区。

Children spend hours at play.小孩子花很多时间玩耍。
The local council runs some good play schemes.当地市政会主持着几个不错的娱乐计划。
They are raising money for an outdoor play area.他们正在为一个户外游戏区筹集资金。
There are lots of opportunities for imaginative play.想象力游戏的机会很多。

Collocations Dictionaryadjective

outdoor
creative
imaginative
…

play + noun

area
equipment
house
…

preposition

at play
in play

in sport体育运动

[uncountable] the playing of a game比赛；赛风；比赛中的表现

Rain stopped play.因雨停赛。
There was some excellent play in yesterday's match.昨天的比赛有精彩的场面。
The spectators were asked to be quiet during play.观众被要求在比赛期间保持安静。
This video game has fast and exciting game play.这款电子游戏玩起来既快又刺激。
Does online play have a negative effect on gaming?网游对游戏有负面影响吗？

activity/influence活动；影响

[uncountable] the activity or operation of something; the influence of something on something else活动；作用；影响

the free play of market forces市场力量的自由调节作用
in play More powerful forces are in play.更强大的力量正在发挥作用。
The financial crisis has brought new factors into play.财政危机已引发了新的变数。
Personal feelings should not come into play when you are making business decisions.为公事作决策不应掺入个人感情。
at play Other issues such as market power could be at play.市场力量等其他问题也可能起作用。

There are several measures in play at one time.有几个措施同时在起作用。
Both of these factors are in play.这两个因素都在起作用。
All of his skills were called into play.他的所有技能都发挥了作用。
There is more at play here than simply reputations.这里有比名誉更重要的因素。
They were more independent and given freer play than many women of their time.他们比同时代的许多女性更独立，也更自由。

in rope绳索

[uncountable] the possibility of free and easy movement间隙；活动空间

We need more play in the rope.我们需要再松一松绳子。

of light/a smile光；微笑

[uncountable] (literary) a light, quick movement that keeps changing轻快变幻的动作；闪烁；闪现

the play of sunlight on water阳光在水面上的闪烁

词源Old English pleg(i)an ‘to exercise’, plega ‘brisk movement’, related to Middle Dutch pleien ‘leap for joy, dance’.

Idioms

all work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy)

(saying) it is not healthy to spend all your time working; you need to relax too只工作不玩耍，聪明的孩子也变傻

be child’s play

(informal) to be very easy to do, so not even a child would find it difficult极容易做；轻而易举

call something into play

(formal) to make use of something利用；使用
- Chess is a game that calls into play all your powers of concentration.国际象棋是一项需要全神贯注的活动。

have a play (with something)

to spend time playing with a toy, game, etc.玩（玩具、游戏等）
- I had a play with the new computer game.我玩了一下这个新的电脑游戏。

in/out of play

(sport体育) (of a ball球) inside/outside the area allowed by the rules of the game在死球／非死球区域；在可继续／不能继续比赛区域
- She just managed to keep the ball in play.她把球勉强保持在界内。
- The ball is still in play.这个球在界内。
- He kicked the ball out of play.他把球踢出界外。

make great/much play of something

to emphasize the importance of a particular fact强调；着重说明
- He made great play of the fact that his uncle was a duke.他特别强调自己的叔叔是位公爵。

make a play for somebody/something

to try to obtain something; to do things that are intended to produce a particular result企图得到；处心积虑做事
- She was making a play for the sales manager's job.她千方百计要取得销售部经理的位置。

a play on words

the humorous use of a word or phrase that can have two different meanings双关语；语带双关 synonym pun

the state of play

the stage that has been reached in a process, etc. which has not yet been completed进展情况；发展阶段
- What is the current state of play in the peace talks?和平谈判目前进展得怎么样？
(especially British English) the score in a sports match, especially in cricket（板球等比赛的）比分