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 36 payments totalling more than £47m over eight years involved the signings of some of the most influential players in the club's modern history.

From BBC

A Thai court on Tuesday sentenced two eSports players to three months in detention for cheating at the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last year.

From Barron's

In nearly all cases, industry experts say, the companies tap into the banking system by partnering with chartered banks like Evolve, which are often smaller regional players.

From MarketWatch

The instant a mid-major player shows promise, a familiar pattern unfolds.

From The Wall Street Journal

The league this season featured nearly six times more international players than it did in its 1991-92 season, and fandom and viewership has spread far outside of North America.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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