play around

play a·round

P p

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [pley uh-round]
- /pleɪ əˈraʊnd/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [pley uh-round]
- /pleɪ əˈraʊnd/

Definitions of play around words

noun play around a dramatic composition or piece; drama. 1
noun play around a dramatic performance, as on the stage. 1
noun play around exercise or activity for amusement or recreation. 1
noun play around fun or jest, as opposed to seriousness: I said it merely in play. 1
noun play around a pun. 1
noun play around the playing, action, or conduct of a game: The pitcher was replaced in the fourth inning of play. 1

See all 94 definitions of play around

Information block about the term

Origin of play around

First appearance:

before 900

One of the 4% oldest English words

before 900; (noun) Middle English pleye, Old English plega; (v.) Middle English pleyen, Old English pleg(i)an (cognate with Middle Dutch pleien to leap for joy, dance, rejoice, be glad)

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Play around

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Play around

play around popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 100% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

play around usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for play around

verb play around

boondoggle — People sometimes refer to an official organization or activity as a boondoggle when they think it wastes a lot of time and money and does not achieve much.
caress — If you caress someone, you stroke them gently and affectionately.
dabble — If you dabble in something, you take part in it but not very seriously.
dally — If you dally, you act or move very slowly, wasting time.
fool around — a silly or stupid person; a person who lacks judgment or sense.

All 20 Synonyms of play around