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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

Dambrauskas says he had known since the age of 12 he would not make it as a player, but coaching would keep him close to football.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

Remember that London was an outstanding basketball player who went to USC and later decided to focus on football.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

"Football represented life for us before the war, and after the war the lives of players stopped altogether," said Khalil Matar, a Khadamat Rafah player.

From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026

This version of the footage vs. the clock appeared to show that a Western Michigan player had touched the ball with one second left on the game clock.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

A chess player himself, Laucks liked to surround himself with other players, many of them offbeat and highly talented.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Player representatives have also not seen the figures.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

In two seasons at Emirates Stadium, she has won WSL Player of the Season, come second in the 2024-25 Ballon d'Or and made the WSL Team of the Year both times.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

And on defense, they already added Garrett, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year who set the single-season sack record last year with 23.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, will work alongside Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson as CBS’ lead team during Romo’s absence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Player One is mounted on an ostrich, while Player Two is mounted on a stork.

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

While it looks like players and coaches will get to see the data in early 2027, any wider outcomes or decisions might take longer.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

England will play Australia, Canada and New Zealand in the next three weeks and, like all the world's top women's players, they have some new equipment: a smaller ball.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

For players, the distinction between atmosphere and interference can be more than a matter of manners.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

Both players are being investigated by the NFL in regard to separate off-the-field incidents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

At Yankee Stadium, where the Yankees were hosting the Detroit Tigers, the players ran off the field.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

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