drama - the literary genre of works intended for the theater

stage direction - an instruction written as part of the script of a play

dramatic composition, dramatic work - a play for performance on the stage or television or in a movie etc.

Grand Guignol - a play of a macabre or horrific nature

theater of the absurd - plays stressing the irrational or illogical aspects of life, usually to show that modern life is pointless; "Samuel Beckett and Eugene Ionesco have written plays for the theater of the absurd"

playlet - a short play

act - a subdivision of a play or opera or ballet

miracle play - a medieval play representing episodes from the life of a saint or martyr

morality play - an allegorical play popular in the 15th and 16th centuries; characters personified virtues and vices

mystery play - a medieval play representing episodes from the life of Christ

Passion play - a play representing the Passion of Christ

satyr play - an ancient Greek burlesque with a chorus of satyrs

show - a public exhibition or entertainment; "they wanted to see some of the shows on Broadway"

musical, musical comedy, musical theater - a play or film whose action and dialogue is interspersed with singing and dancing

curtain raiser - a short play presented before the main play

knock on - (rugby) knocking the ball forward while trying to catch it (a foul)

football play - (American football) a play by the offensive team

razmataz, razzle, razzle-dazzle, razzmatazz - any exciting and complex play intended to confuse (dazzle) the opponent

basketball play - a play executed by a basketball team

baseball play - (baseball) a play executed by a baseball team

plan of action - a plan for actively doing something

movement, move, motion - the act of changing location from one place to another; "police controlled the motion of the crowd"; "the movement of people from the farms to the cities"; "his move put him directly in my path"

athletic game - a game involving athletic activity

takeaway - the act of taking the ball or puck away from the team on the offense (as by the interception of a pass)

figure - a predetermined set of movements in dancing or skating; "she made the best score on compulsory figures"

completion, pass completion - (American football) a successful forward pass in football

ball hawking - a skillful maneuver in catching balls or in stealing the ball from the opposing team

assist - (sports) the act of enabling another player to make a good play

icing the puck, icing - (ice hockey) the act of shooting the puck from within your own defensive area the length of the rink beyond the opponent's goal

jugglery - the performance of a juggler

obstruction - getting in someone's way

footwork - the manner of using the feet

stroke, shot - (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand; "it took two strokes to get out of the bunker"; "a good shot require good balance and tempo"; "he left me an almost impossible shot"

blitz, linebacker blitzing, safety blitz - (American football) defensive players try to break through the offensive line

trap play, mousetrap - (American football) a play in which a defensive player is allowed to cross the line of scrimmage and then blocked off as the runner goes through the place the lineman vacated

activeness, activity, action - the state of being active; "his sphere of activity"; "he is out of action"

usage, use, utilisation, utilization, exercise, employment - the act of using; "he warned against the use of narcotic drugs"; "skilled in the utilization of computers"

attempt, effort, try, endeavor, endeavour - earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try"

diversion, recreation - an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates; "scuba diving is provided as a diversion for tourists"; "for recreation he wrote poetry and solved crossword puzzles"; "drug abuse is often regarded as a form of recreation"

house - play in which children take the roles of father or mother or children and pretend to interact like adults; "the children were playing house"

doctor - children take the roles of doctor or patient or nurse and pretend they are at the doctor's office; "the children explored each other's bodies by playing the game of doctor"

fireman - play in which children take the roles of firemen and pretend to put out a fire

quantity, amount, measure - how much there is of something that you can quantify

game - a contest with rules to determine a winner; "you need four people to play this game"

athletic game - a game involving athletic activity

golf hole, hole - one playing period (from tee to green) on a golf course; "he played 18 holes"

chukka, chukker - one of the six playing periods into which the game of polo is divided

inning, frame - a period of play in baseball during which each team has a turn at bat

set - a unit of play in tennis or squash; "they played two sets of tennis after dinner"

bout, round, turn - (sports) a period of play during which one team is on the offensive

first period - the first period of play in a game

second period - the second period of play in a game

third period - the third period of play in a game

final period - the last period of play in a game

half - in various games or performances: either of two periods of play separated by an interval

period - one of three periods of play in hockey games

quarter - one of four periods of play into which some games are divided; "both teams scored in the first quarter"

over - (cricket) the period during which a given number of balls (6 in England but 8 in Australia) are bowled at the batsman by one player from the other team from the same end of the pitch

freedom - the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints

alteration, change, modification - an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another; "the change was intended to increase sales"; "this storm is certainly a change for the worse"; "the neighborhood had undergone few modifications since his last visit years ago"

humor, wit, witticism, wittiness, humour - a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter

jocosity, jocularity - fun characterized by humor

waggery, waggishness - waggish behavior

drollery, funniness, clowning, comedy - a comic incident or series of incidents

paronomasia, pun, punning, wordplay - a humorous play on words; "I do it for the pun of it"; "his constant punning irritated her"

movability, movableness - the quality of being movable; capable of being moved or rearranged

wiggliness - a jerky back and forth kind of mobility; "he walked with the wiggliness of a child on high heels"

slackness, slack - the condition of being loose (not taut); "he hadn't counted on the slackness of the rope"

diversion, recreation - an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates; "scuba diving is provided as a diversion for tourists"; "for recreation he wrote poetry and solved crossword puzzles"; "drug abuse is often regarded as a form of recreation"

coquetry, flirtation, flirting, toying, dalliance, flirt - playful behavior intended to arouse sexual interest

foolery, tomfoolery, lunacy, craziness, folly, indulgence - foolish or senseless behavior

game - frivolous or trifling behavior; "for actors, memorizing lines is no game"; "for him, life is all fun and games"

horseplay - rowdy or boisterous play

teasing - playful vexation; "the parody was just a form of teasing"

word play - playing on words or speech sounds

diversion, recreation - an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates; "scuba diving is provided as a diversion for tourists"; "for recreation he wrote poetry and solved crossword puzzles"; "drug abuse is often regarded as a form of recreation"

sporting life - active interest in gambling on sports events

wager, bet - the act of gambling; "he did it on a bet"

gambling game, game of chance - a game that involves gambling

vice - a specific form of evildoing; "vice offends the moral standards of the community"

unlicensed gambling - unlicensed gambling is illegal in most jurisdictions

throw - the throwing of an object in order to determine an outcome randomly; "he risked his fortune on a throw of the dice"

move - (game) a player's turn to move a piece or take some other permitted action

starting, start - a turn to be a starter (in a game at the beginning); "he got his start because one of the regular pitchers was in the hospital"; "his starting meant that the coach thought he was one of their best linemen"

activity - any specific activity; "they avoided all recreational activity"

game - a contest with rules to determine a winner; "you need four people to play this game"

innings - the batting turn of a cricket player or team

attack - an offensive move in a sport or game; "they won the game with a 10-hit attack in the 9th inning"

down - (American football) a complete play to advance the football; "you have 4 downs to gain 10 yards"

at-bat, bat - (baseball) a turn batting; "he was at bat when it happened"; "he got 4 hits in 4 at-bats"

lead - the playing of a card to start a trick in bridge; "the lead was in the dummy"

trumping, ruff - the act of taking a trick with a trump when unable to follow suit

action - something done (usually as opposed to something said); "there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions"

fencing - the art or sport of fighting with swords (especially the use of foils or epees or sabres to score points under a set of rules)

compete, vie, contend - compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others

curl - play the Scottish game of curling

snooker - leave one's opponent unable to take a direct shot

revoke - fail to follow suit when able and required to do so

develop - move into a strategically more advantageous position; "develop the rook"

develop - move one's pieces into strategically more advantageous positions; "Spassky developed quickly"

die - to be on base at the end of an inning, of a player

misplay - play wrong or in an unskillful manner

start - play in the starting line-up

fumble - drop or juggle or fail to play cleanly a grounder; "fumble a grounder"

volley - make a volley

unblock - play the cards of (a suit) so that the last trick on which a hand can follow suit will be taken by a higher card in the hand of a partner who has the remaining cards of a combined holding

replay - play again; "We replayed the game"; "replay a point"

cricket - play cricket

backstop - act as a backstop

fullback - play the fullback

quarterback - play the quarterback

cradle - run with the stick

exit - lose the lead

encounter, take on, meet, play - contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle; "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"; "Charlie likes to play Mary"

play out - play to a finish; "We have got to play this game out, even thought it is clear that we have last"

field - play as a fielder

catch - be the catcher; "Who is catching?"

bully off, face off - start a game by a face-off

tee off - strike a ball from the teeing ground at the start of a hole

ace - play (a hole) in one stroke

complete, nail - complete a pass

gamble - play games for money

walk - give a base on balls to

bowl - engage in the sport of bowling; "My parents like to bowl on Friday nights"

golf - play golf

bandy - toss or strike a ball back and forth

foul - commit a foul; break the rules

put out - retire; "he was put out at third base on a long throw from left field"

croquet - play a game in which players hit a wooden ball through a series of hoops

putt - : hit a putt; "he lost because he putted so poorly"

seesaw - ride on a plank

bid, call - make a demand, as for a card or a suit or a show of hands; "He called his trump"

play out - play to a finish; "We have got to play this game out, even thought it is clear that we have last"

act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel"

play - behave in a certain way; "play safe"; "play it safe"; "play fair"

music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner

strike up, sound off - start playing; "The musicians struck up a tune"

perform - give a performance (of something); "Horowitz is performing at Carnegie Hall tonight"; "We performed a popular Gilbert and Sullivan opera"

spiel, play - replay (as a melody); "Play it again, Sam"; "She played the third movement very beautifully"

swing - play with a subtle and intuitively felt sense of rhythm

play - perform music on (a musical instrument); "He plays the flute"; "Can you play on this old recorder?"

symphonise, symphonize - play or sound together, in harmony

play along, accompany, follow - perform an accompaniment to; "The orchestra could barely follow the frequent pitch changes of the soprano"

bow - play on a string instrument

performing arts - arts or skills that require public performance

act as, act, play - pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind; "He acted the idiot"; "She plays deaf when the news are bad"

make believe, pretend, make - represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like; "She makes like an actress"

re-create - create anew; "Re-create the boom of the West on a small scale"

playact, roleplay, act, play - perform on a stage or theater; "She acts in this play"; "He acted in `Julius Caesar'"; "I played in `A Christmas Carol'"

support - play a subordinate role to (another performer); "Olivier supported Gielgud beautifully in the second act"

play - pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity; "Let's play like I am mommy"; "Play cowboy and Indians"

act out, enact, reenact - act out; represent or perform as if in a play; "She reenacted what had happened earlier that day"

act out - represent an incident, state, or emotion by action, especially on stage; "She could act neurotic anxiety"

impersonate, portray - assume or act the character of; "She impersonates Madonna"; "The actor portrays an elderly, lonely man"

parody - make a spoof of or make fun of

emote - give expression or emotion to, in a stage or movie role

fool around, horse around, arse around, fool - indulge in horseplay; "Enough horsing around--let's get back to work!"; "The bored children were fooling about"

frisk, frolic, gambol, lark, lark about, rollick, romp, run around, skylark, cavort, disport, sport - play boisterously; "The children frolicked in the garden"; "the gamboling lambs in the meadows"; "The toddlers romped in the playroom"

recreate, play - engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion; "On weekends I play"; "The students all recreate alike"

act - be engaged in an activity, often for no particular purpose other than pleasure

splash around, dabble, paddle - play in or as if in water, as of small children

re-create - create anew; "Re-create the boom of the West on a small scale"

riff - play riffs

misplay - play incorrectly, e.g., play a wrong note

fiddle - play on a violin; "Zuckerman fiddled that song very nicely"

play - play on an instrument; "The band played all night long"

replay - play (a melody) again

prelude - play as a prelude

jazz - play something in the style of jazz

rag - play in ragtime; "rag that old tune"

bugle - play on a bugle

reprise, reprize, recapitulate, repeat - repeat an earlier theme of a composition

slur - play smoothly or legato; "the pianist slurred the most beautiful passage in the sonata"

bang out - play loudly; "They banged out `The star-spangled banner'"

modulate - change the key of, in music; "modulate the melody"

tongue - articulate by tonguing, as when playing wind instruments

music - musical activity (singing or whistling etc.); "his music was his central interest"

music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner

play - play on an instrument; "The band played all night long"

register - manipulate the registers of an organ

skirl - play the bagpipes

beat - produce a rhythm by striking repeatedly; "beat the drum"

tweedle - play negligently on a musical instrument

chord - play chords on (a string instrument)

pipe - play on a pipe; "pipe a tune"

drum - play a percussion instrument

harp - play the harp; "She harped the Saint-Saens beautifully"

fiddle - play the violin or fiddle

trumpet - play or blow on the trumpet

clarion - blow the clarion

sound - cause to sound; "sound the bell"; "sound a certain note"

behave, act, do - behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; "You should act like an adult"; "Don't behave like a fool"; "What makes her do this way?"; "The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people"

behave, act, do - behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; "You should act like an adult"; "Don't behave like a fool"; "What makes her do this way?"; "The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people"

act, play, represent - play a role or part; "Gielgud played Hamlet"; "She wants to act Lady Macbeth, but she is too young for the role"; "She played the servant to her husband's master"

go, locomote, move, travel - change location; move, travel, or proceed; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"

gamble - play games for money

underplay - play a card lower than (a held high card)

play - make bets; "Play the reaces"; "play the casinos in Trouville"

play - be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children; "The kids were playing outside all day"; "I used to play with trucks as a little girl"

act, play, represent - play a role or part; "Gielgud played Hamlet"; "She wants to act Lady Macbeth, but she is too young for the role"; "She played the servant to her husband's master"

sham, feign, simulate, assume - make a pretence of; "She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger"; "he feigned sleep"

run, play - cause to emit recorded sounds; "They ran the tapes over and over again"; "Can you play my favorite record?"

sound - give off a certain sound or sounds; "This record sounds scratchy"

performing arts - arts or skills that require public performance

perform - give a performance (of something); "Horowitz is performing at Carnegie Hall tonight"; "We performed a popular Gilbert and Sullivan opera"

playact, roleplay, act, play - perform on a stage or theater; "She acts in this play"; "He acted in `Julius Caesar'"; "I played in `A Christmas Carol'"

play - employ in a game or in a specific position; "They played him on first base"

play - use or move; "I had to play my queen"

deploy - place troops or weapons in battle formation

pitch - lead (a card) and establish the trump suit

cover - play a higher card than the one previously played; "Smith covered again"

declare - designate (a trump suit or no-trump) with the final bid of a hand

behave, act, do - behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; "You should act like an adult"; "Don't behave like a fool"; "What makes her do this way?"; "The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people"

act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel"

play - act or have an effect in a specified way or with a specific effect or outcome; "This factor played only a minor part in his decision"; "This development played into her hands"; "I played no role in your dismissal"

run - cause to perform; "run a subject"; "run a process"

play - emit recorded sound; "The tape was playing for hours"; "the stereo was playing Beethoven when I entered"

execute, run - carry out a process or program, as on a computer or a machine; "Run the dishwasher"; "run a new program on the Mac"; "the computer executed the instruction"

manipulate - hold something in one's hands and move it

put out, retire - cause to be out on a fielding play

exploit, work - use or manipulate to one's advantage; "He exploit the new taxation system"; "She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy"

look at, consider, deal, take - take into consideration for exemplifying purposes; "Take the case of China"; "Consider the following case"

dally, toy, flirt, play - behave carelessly or indifferently; "Play about with a young girl's affection"

trifle, dally, play - consider not very seriously; "He is trifling with her"; "She plays with the thought of moving to Tasmania"

act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel"

move, displace - cause to move, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense; "Move those boxes into the corner, please"; "I'm moving my money to another bank"; "The director moved more responsibilities onto his new assistant"

dramatic art, dramaturgy, theater, theatre, dramatics - the art of writing and producing plays

perform - give a performance (of something); "Horowitz is performing at Carnegie Hall tonight"; "We performed a popular Gilbert and Sullivan opera"

play - perform on a certain location; "The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16"; "She has been playing on Broadway for years"

play - be performed; "What's playing in the local movie theater?"; "`Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years"

act, play, represent - play a role or part; "Gielgud played Hamlet"; "She wants to act Lady Macbeth, but she is too young for the role"; "She played the servant to her husband's master"

stooge - act as the stooge; "His role was to stooge for the popular comedian"

pantomime, mime - act out without words but with gestures and bodily movements only; "The acting students mimed eating an apple"

ham, ham it up, overact, overplay - exaggerate one's acting

underact, underplay - act (a role) with great restraint

act - be suitable for theatrical performance; "This scene acts well"

performing arts - arts or skills that require public performance

debut - appear for the first time in public; "The new ballet that debuts next months at Covent Garden, is already sold out"

playact, roleplay, act, play - perform on a stage or theater; "She acts in this play"; "He acted in `Julius Caesar'"; "I played in `A Christmas Carol'"

create, make - make or cause to be or to become; "make a mess in one's office"; "create a furor"

work, act - have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected; "The voting process doesn't work as well as people thought"; "How does your idea work in practice?"; "This method doesn't work"; "The breaks of my new car act quickly"; "The medicine works only if you take it with a lot of water"

discharge - pour forth or release; "discharge liquids"

play - bet or wager (money); "He played $20 on the new horse"; "She plays the races"

wager, bet, play - stake on the outcome of an issue; "I bet $100 on that new horse"; "She played all her money on the dark horse"

wager, bet, play - stake on the outcome of an issue; "I bet $100 on that new horse"; "She played all her money on the dark horse"

gamble - play games for money

bet on, gage, game, stake, punt, back - place a bet on; "Which horse are you backing?"; "I'm betting on the new horse"

play - make bets; "Play the reaces"; "play the casinos in Trouville"

play - make bets; "Play the reaces"; "play the casinos in Trouville"

raise - bet more than the previous player

see - match or meet; "I saw the bet of one of my fellow players"

encounter, take on, meet, play - contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle; "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"; "Charlie likes to play Mary"

hook - secure with the foot; "hook the ball"

hit - cause to move by striking; "hit a ball"

encounter, take on, meet, play - contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle; "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"; "Charlie likes to play Mary"

promote - change a pawn for a king by advancing it to the eighth row, or change a checker piece for a more valuable piece by moving it the row closest to your opponent

play - put (a card or piece) into play during a game, or act strategically as if in a card game; "He is playing his cards close to his chest"; "The Democrats still have some cards to play before they will concede the electoral victory"

apply, employ, use, utilise, utilize - put into service; make work or employ (something) for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose; "use your head!"; "we only use Spanish at home"; "I can't make use of this tool"; "Apply a magnetic field here"; "This thinking was applied to many projects"; "How do you utilize this tool?"; "I apply this rule to get good results"; "use the plastic bags to store the food"; "He doesn't know how to use a computer"

encounter, take on, meet, play - contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle; "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"; "Charlie likes to play Mary"

play - put (a card or piece) into play during a game, or act strategically as if in a card game; "He is playing his cards close to his chest"; "The Democrats still have some cards to play before they will concede the electoral victory"

apply, employ, use, utilise, utilize - put into service; make work or employ (something) for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose; "use your head!"; "we only use Spanish at home"; "I can't make use of this tool"; "Apply a magnetic field here"; "This thinking was applied to many projects"; "How do you utilize this tool?"; "I apply this rule to get good results"; "use the plastic bags to store the food"; "He doesn't know how to use a computer"

play - participate in games or sport; "We played hockey all afternoon"; "play cards"; "Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches"

confront, face - oppose, as in hostility or a competition; "You must confront your opponent"; "Jackson faced Smith in the boxing ring"; "The two enemies finally confronted each other"

play - employ in a game or in a specific position; "They played him on first base"

play - use or move; "I had to play my queen"

play - shoot or hit in a particular manner; "She played a good backhand last night"

replay - repeat a game against the same opponent; "Princeton replayed Harvard"

exhaust, tucker, tucker out, wash up, beat - wear out completely; "This kind of work exhausts me"; "I'm beat"; "He was all washed up after the exam"