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• player
  player

  noun

  a person or thing that plays.
• Player
  Player

  noun

  Gary, born 1935, South African golfer.

player

¹ American  

[pley-er] / ˈpleɪ ər /

noun

• players
  plural

1. a person or thing that plays.

2. a person who takes part or is skilled in some game or sport.

3. a person who plays parts on the stage; an actor.

4. a performer on a musical instrument.

5. Informal. a participant, as in a conference or business deal.

6. a machine or piece of software that reproduces sound or images: a videodisc player;

   a record player;

   a videodisc player;

   a digital media player.

7. a gambler.

8. Slang. a person engaged in illicit or illegal activity, especially a pimp.

9. a mechanical device by which a musical instrument, as a player piano, is played automatically.

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Player ² American  

[pley-er] / ˈpleɪ ər /

noun

1. Gary, born 1935, South African golfer.

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player ¹ British  

/ ˈpleɪə /

noun

1. a person who participates in or is skilled at some game or sport

2. a person who plays a game or sport professionally

3. a person who plays a musical instrument

4. an actor

5. informal a participant, esp a powerful one, in a particular field of activity

   a leading city player

6. See record player

7. the playing mechanism in a Pianola

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Player ² British  

/ ˈpleɪə /

noun

1. Gary (ˈɡærɪ). born 1935, South African golfer: winner of nine major championships (1959–78), including the British Open (1959, 1968, 1974)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counterplayer
  noun
• nonplayer
  noun
• self-player
  noun
• superplayer
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• players
  plural

Etymology

Origin of player

before 1000; Middle English pleyer, Old English plegere. See play, -er ¹

Explanation

If you like to play anything at all, you’re a player. If you take part in a game or sport, you're a player. If you're a big flirt, you’re a player. Like the kazoo? You’re a kazoo player. Play on! Some players play cards or tennis, and others play roles in theater productions. You could also call a musician a player, like a piano player or a flute player. Vital or influential people (or groups) are sometimes described this way too: "The president called a meeting of all the biggest political players." And finally, there are inanimate players, like music or radio players, or an MP3 player.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

player Player players

It was the first time an Everton player had scored from outside the penalty area on their Premier League debut.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

Obviously, he’s a great player, but he doesn’t get the attention.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

"Football represented life for us before the war, and after the war the lives of players stopped altogether," said Khalil Matar, a Khadamat Rafah player.

From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026

This version of the footage vs. the clock appeared to show that a Western Michigan player had touched the ball with one second left on the game clock.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

As the contest seesawed, each player acted the role of predator and prey.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Player representatives had asked each Grand Slam to contribute $4m in benefit payments this year.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Player salaries are capped, but ownership’s resources matter much in terms of creating a competitive infrastructure of coaches, basketball operations, medical and scouting staffs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

In two seasons at Emirates Stadium, she has won WSL Player of the Season, come second in the 2024-25 Ballon d'Or and made the WSL Team of the Year both times.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Should the 35-year-old Donald, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, ultimately decide to throw on his shoulder pads again, it would supercharge a team that is already the preseason Super Bowl favorite.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Quang-ha has taken control as the Most Valuable Player of apartment power spraying.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

The fly-half says England players have noticed passes "dying", falling to the floor earlier than expected, "which they wouldn't have done previously".

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

Key stars such as Lauren Bell, Sophie Ecclestone and Nat Sciver-Brunt have been rested, which has presented opportunities to experiment with the likes of fringe players in Grewcock and Tilly Corteen-Coleman.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

For players, the distinction between atmosphere and interference can be more than a matter of manners.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

And he’s turned over every stone to win, including nabbing players fresh out of NFL training camps.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

After their three-week hiatus, the young players borrowed an old automobile from the editor of the California Chess Reporter, Guthrie McClain.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• athlete
• competitor
• member
• opponent
• participant
• pro
• professional
• rookie