PLAYING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does playing mean? 

• PLAYING (noun)
  The noun PLAYING has 3 senses:

1. the act of playing a musical instrument

2. the action of taking part in a game or sport or other recreation

3. the performance of a part or role in a drama

  Familiarity information: PLAYING used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PLAYING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of playing a musical instrument

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("playing" is a kind of...):

musical performance (the act of performing music)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "playing"):

bowing (managing the bow in playing a stringed instrument)

piping (playing a pipe or the bagpipes)

stopping (the kind of playing that involves pressing the fingers on the strings of a stringed instrument to control the pitch)

transposition ((music) playing in a different key from the key intended; moving the pitch of a piece of music upwards or downwards)

Derivation:

play (replay (as a melody))

play (play on an instrument)

play (perform music on (a musical instrument))

Sense 2

Meaning:

The action of taking part in a game or sport or other recreation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("playing" is a kind of...):

action (something done (usually as opposed to something said))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "playing"):

catching ((baseball) playing the position of catcher on a baseball team)

golfing (playing golf)

pitching ((baseball) playing the position of pitcher on a baseball team)

bowling (the playing of a game of tenpins or duckpins etc)

Derivation:

play (engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously)

play (participate in games or sport)

play (contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle)

play (engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion)

play (be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The performance of a part or role in a drama

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

acting; performing; playacting; playing

Hypernyms ("playing" is a kind of...):

performing arts (arts or skills that require public performance)

activity (any specific behavior)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "playing"):

roleplaying (acting a particular role (as in psychotherapy))

reenactment (performing a role in an event that occurred at an earlier time)

heroics (ostentatious or vainglorious or extravagant or melodramatic conduct)

hamming; overacting (poor acting by a ham actor)

skit (a short theatrical episode)

business; byplay; stage business (incidental activity performed by an actor for dramatic effect)

dumb show; mime; pantomime (a performance using gestures and body movements without words)

method; method acting (an acting technique introduced by Stanislavsky in which the actor recalls emotions or reactions from his or her own life and uses them to identify with the character being portrayed)

impersonation; personation (imitating the mannerisms of another person)

characterization; enactment; personation; portrayal (acting the part of a character on stage; dramatically representing the character by speech and action and gesture)

Holonyms ("playing" is a part of...):

performance (the act of presenting a play or a piece of music or other entertainment)

Derivation:

play (play a role or part)

play (perform on a stage or theater)

 Context examples 

It was a sort of playing at being frightened.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

During the past two or three days several cases have occurred of young children straying from home or neglecting to return from their playing on the Heath.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

An interaction between interferon signaling and Hsp70 may alter this mitochondrial apoptosis pathway, perhaps playing a role in interferon-mediated apoptosis of infected or transformed cells.

(Interferon Signaling Modulation Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

In addition to playing a role in tissue invasion in cancer, the activity of MMPs in angiogenesis, inflammation, and development is regulated by inhibitors such as RECK and TIMPs.

(Inhibition of Matrix Metalloproteinases Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

The men are playing with markers. That means the roof is the limit.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

The answer was, "Oh, no; never; she has quite given up dancing. She had rather play. She is never tired of playing."

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

It produces vast amounts of type I interferons especially in response to viruses, therefore playing an important role in antiviral immunity and triggers for adaptive immune responses.

(Plasmacytoid Monocyte, NCI Thesaurus)

Human platelets express both PAR1 and PAR4, with PAR1 playing a more dominant role in clotting in humans.

(Aspirin Inhibition of Platelet Activation Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

She stood beside it for some little while, in a curious way, going through the motion of playing it with her right hand, but not sounding it.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Playing sports, running, falling, or having an accident can damage your legs.

(Leg Injuries and Disorders, NIH)