Jump To:

• player
  player

  noun

  a person or thing that plays.
• Player
  Player

  noun

  Gary, born 1935, South African golfer.

player

¹ American  

[play-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.

---

Player ² American  

[play-er] / ˈpleɪ ər /

noun

1. Gary, born 1935, South African golfer.

---

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

---

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)

---

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

"So every player on the pitch is looking to swap with him. It's the first time a legend has bowed out with a special edition shirt."

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

The trading firm formerly known as Gunvor is poised to become a major player in the Haynesville basin with $1.5 billion deal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

On what will be his 208th appearance, the country's most-capped player and record goal scorer will bid an emotional farewell in a friendly against Benin at the Monumental in Buenos Aires.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

He was almost offended that his boss sent him in the first place, as if there could possibly be a notable player in his area that he didn’t know about.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

He was the best player in the entire league.

From "The Missing Mitt (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #2)" by Franklin W. Dixon

A Rams defense missing defensive linemen Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald—and their five combined Defensive Player of the Year awards—had somehow given the team a prayer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Player pathway is a hot topic in Scottish football and Ure is an example of what can happen when a kid is given a proper chance.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Perhaps nobody was outplayed worse than Garrett, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year who was arguably The Most Irrelevant Player Of This Game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Player pay has surged, creating a multibillion-dollar market in Name, Image Likeness, or NIL, payments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

I took another deep breath and pressed the Player One button once again.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

It sells its streaming players at thin margins and makes money from advertising and a cut of subscriptions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Google on Tuesday struck a new long-term deal with Constellation Energy, underscoring that obtaining enough power remains a critical issue for major artificial-intelligence players.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

Williams, Thybulle, second-year forward Adou Thiero and guard Quentin Grimes were among the players who guarded the ball full court.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

He posted a 1.13 ERA over 48 innings there, dominating lineups filled with Division I players.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

However, in American tournaments, where hotel ballrooms are rented and contracted for a specified period and players have made arrangements for flights home, it’s necessary to apply a tie-breaking system to determine the winner.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

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