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

A thorn in Liverpool's defence, Haaland became just the third Premier League player to score in four or more consecutive home games against the Reds after Chris Sutton and former City forward Sergio Aguero.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

She is the only player in league history to win both the MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

As a soccer player, he earned a full-ride scholarship to Vanguard University and later completed his master’s degree in business administration at Hope International University.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Range Resources, another exploration and production player that focuses primarily on natural gas, has risen an impressive 23% year to date.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

There was also a big-screen TV, a DVD player, a sofa against one wall, and shelves filled with books and games.

From "Sleepover Sleuths: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #1" by Carolyn Keene

Related Words

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