player

¹ American  

[pley-er] / ˈpleɪ ər /

noun

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

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

Etymology

Origin of player

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

Example Sentences

The 62-year-old replaces Scott Robinson, who was sacked in January after two years following high-profile losses to South Africa, Argentina and England as well as reports of tension between senior players and All Blacks staff.

From BBC

Michael Carrick has said Manchester United could look to sign a left winger this summer - even though they spent the past three transfer windows under Ruben Amorim getting rid of wide players.

From BBC

For the next few months, it will be tough for the players of both sides to not be thinking about winning the Premier League - even if they do not admit it publicly.

From BBC

Industrial AI applications are typically smaller and less energy-intensive than the large models produced by major players, and designed for specific tasks that could range from developing construction plans to optimising electrical wiring in devices.

From Barron's

In whatever way the secondary is remodeled, the players will be taking direction from new defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake, who replaced Aubrey Pleasant.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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