playground
Americannoun
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playgrounds
plural
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an area used for outdoor play or recreation, especially by children, and often containing recreational equipment such as slides and swings.
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Informal. any place, environment, or facility used for recreation or amusement, as a resort.
The tropical island is an international playground for the rich.
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an arena of operation or activity.
noun
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an outdoor area for children's play, esp one having swings, slides, etc, or adjoining a school
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a place or region particularly popular as a sports or holiday resort
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a sphere of activity
reading was his private playground
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of playground
Explanation
A playground is a place to frolic and play. Most kids know where the nearest playground is because that’s where the swings and slides are. Neighborhoods and schools usually have a playground. Weeeeee! A playground built especially for kids has equipment for them to play on, like climbing structures, swings, seesaws, and play houses. Many public parks have this kind of playground. When adults talk about their favorite playgrounds, they usually mean a place they go to do the sports or activities they love. A nearby mountain, for example, could be described as a playground for snow boarders.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It crossed his mind, he said, that perhaps the craft could be lifted onshore and integrated into a local playground.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
"The power of CDWs is that they are a much simpler form of matter compared to superconductivity. They offer a playground for fundamental understanding."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
Three seasons in, the set has become the world’s best playground.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Early mixed-media pieces that combine articles of clothing and faux bricks feel unpolished, and other sculptures—oversize ice pops and a spring-mounted playground unicorn—are as superficial as his more iconic paintings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Brie opens the door when she sees us coming, and Teddy runs over, telling her all about the playground and the trains at the library and the book he chose.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Over the past two weeks, the sound of children has returned to Scotland's school playgrounds.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Jen Rutherford, Play Strategy Officer for Leeds City Council, works to ensure children's access to play is factored into wider council decisions, and says it is limiting to just think about playgrounds.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The new parks and playgrounds now scattered across the city "are really important for people's mental health".
From Barron's ● Jun. 6, 2026
A public debate is raging over for-profit schools, which critics say make money by skimping on playgrounds, libraries and staff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
By day the park was busy, the network of playgrounds in constant use and usually with someone out on the baseball field.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
