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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

The team must trade or waive a player before opening day to reach the roster maximum of 15.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

However, Iraola told a news conference in Chicago at the beginning of Liverpool's pre-season tour of the United States that he wants to hang on to the player.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

This is a partnership with another European player that shares the same vision and aims to create a European hydrogen engine manufacturer for tomorrow's electric aircraft.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

I just sang the line to my piano player.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

If you ask me, it’s just a mall but with shinier doorknobs, marblier floors, fancier stores, and a real piano player instead of prerecorded Muzak.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Manzambi was named Europa League Young Player of the Season and scored seven goals in 47 appearances in all competitions last term, as Freiburg finished seventh in the German Bundesliga.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Last season had an average of 385,000 viewers per episode, with a 38.2% share and over 1.46 million streams on RTÉ Player, an increase on the previous year.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

Freeman’s rapid ascent includes being named MLS Young Player of the Year in 2025, earning a move to Spanish club Villareal, and joining the national team a year ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

For the No. 10 position, it has Jude Bellingham, one of the world’s best young players, and Morgan Rogers, who was just named the Premier League’s Young Player of the Season.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

I hit the Player One button again and began my third game.

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

A club may have up to five players on their discovery list at any time and can add or remove players.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Last year, padel drew one million players domestically, according to the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Chelsea see the stockpiling of players as an investment they can cash in on when needed.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

On the sidelines of some are saunas and bars where players can mingle between matches.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 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