player

¹

[pley-er]

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.

Player

²

[pley-er]

noun

1. Gary, born 1935, South African golfer.

player

¹

/ 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

/ 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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of player¹

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

Example Sentences

An arbitrator ends the “reserve clause” that had tethered players to one employer for life, triggering the largest salary gains of any group of employees, anywhere—and changing labor practices in all U.S. sports.

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"I often thought that, you know, if you can praise the players well, they'll accept a little bit of criticism, even in this day and age."

Read more on BBC

"He gives us more possession. He is intense and he can score goals, so is one more player to be near the box."

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The 14-year-old, who was a former academy player at the club, died on Wednesday evening when he was struck in Burton Joyce.

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No. 5 Texas Tech, fueled by a player payroll reportedly worth more than $25 million this season, blanked West Virginia 49-0 and looks like a lock to make the playoff field.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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