play
/pleɪ/verb
उच्चारण प्ले
खेलना; बजाना; अभिनय करना
Basic wordPYP · asked 1 time
Asked in previous papers
as phrasal verb
- 1
[I, T]
to do things for pleasure, as children do; to take part in a game or sport; to perform on a musical instrument; to act in a play or film; to have an effect on something
खेलना; बजाना; अभिनय करना
- Children play in the park.
- She plays the sitar.
- He played a doctor.
+ 5 more examples
- The children play cricket in the lane every evening.
- Our team plays its next match on Sunday.
- He plays the guitar in a college band.
- She played the part of the queen in the school drama.
- Pollution plays a big role in the rise of lung disease.
Synonyms amuse yourself compete perform act portray
Opposite work
- 1
[C, U]
a piece of writing performed by actors in a theatre; things that people do for pleasure, especially children; the playing of a game
नाटक; खेल
- a play by Shakespeare
- children at play
- We went to see a play at the city theatre.
+ 3 more examples
- The students will stage a play at the annual day.
- The rain stopped play for two hours.
- Young animals learn a lot through play.
Synonyms drama performance show recreation game
§Structures (grammar patterns) 5
play + game / sport (no preposition)
With games and sports, play takes the name directly as its object and no article or preposition.
खेलों के साथ 'play' के बाद खेल का नाम सीधे आता है; article या preposition नहीं लगता।
- Radhika plays badminton every evening.
- The boys play cricket in the lane.
play + the + instrument
With a musical instrument, play takes the definite article.
वाद्य-यंत्र के साथ 'play' में definite article 'the' लगता है।
- He plays the tabla very well.
play + a role / a part
Play a role or a part means to act a character, or to have an influence on a result.
'Play a role/part' का अर्थ किसी पात्र का अभिनय करना या परिणाम पर प्रभाव डालना है।
- She played the part of a teacher in the film.
- Hard work plays a big role in success.
play with / play against / play for
Play with a team-mate or a toy, play against an opponent, play for a team.
साथी या खिलौने के साथ खेलने के लिए with, प्रतिद्वंद्वी के लिए against, और टीम की ओर से खेलने के लिए for आता है।
- India plays against Australia tomorrow.
- He plays for the state team.
play (noun) — drama / game
As a noun, a play is a drama performed on stage; play is also uncountable when it means fun and games.
Noun के रूप में 'a play' मंच पर खेला जाने वाला नाटक है; मौज-मस्ती के अर्थ में 'play' uncountable है।
- Our school staged a play on Independence Day.
- Children learn through play.
+Collocations 4
play + sport / game
cricketchesskabaddicardsfootball
- My grandfather plays chess in the park every morning.
play + instrument
the flutethe guitarthe harmoniumthe violin
- She plays the harmonium at the evening prayer.
play + noun (figurative)
a rolea parta tricka jokea prank
- The older children played a joke on the new teacher.
adverb + play
wellbadlyfairsafeoutside
- Players must play fair on the field.
“More examples 5
- The children play kabaddi in the courtyard after school.
बच्चे स्कूल के बाद आँगन में कबड्डी खेलते हैं।
- Radhika played the heroine in the college play.
राधिका ने कॉलेज के नाटक में नायिका की भूमिका निभाई।
- The doctor said that diet plays a key role in health.
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि स्वास्थ्य में आहार की महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका होती है।
- Who is playing the harmonium in the temple today?
आज मंदिर में हारमोनियम कौन बजा रहा है?
- Rain stopped play for an hour in the third Test.
तीसरे टेस्ट में बारिश ने एक घंटे के लिए खेल रोक दिया।
!Common mistakes 2
✗ He plays the cricket every Sunday.
✓ He plays cricket every Sunday.
Names of games take no article after play.
Play के बाद खेल के नाम के साथ article नहीं लगता।
✗ India will play with Pakistan in the final.
✓ India will play against Pakistan in the final.
Play against shows an opponent; play with means on the same side.
प्रतिद्वंद्वी के लिए 'play against' आता है; 'play with' का अर्थ एक ही पक्ष में खेलना है।
≠Thesaurus: which synonym when
Play can mean fun, sport, music or drama; other words cover single senses more narrowly.
Play का अर्थ मौज, खेल, संगीत या नाटक हो सकता है; अन्य शब्द इनमें से एक अर्थ को अधिक सीमित रूप में बताते हैं।
The widest word, for games, music and drama.
सबसे व्यापक शब्द, खेल, संगीत और नाटक के लिए।
- They play in the evening.
To present something before an audience.
दर्शकों के सामने कुछ प्रस्तुत करना।
- The students performed a dance.
To try to win against others.
दूसरों के विरुद्ध जीतने का प्रयास करना।
- Teams from ten schools competed.
¶Idioms 5
play for time
to try to delay sth so that you can gain an advantage
समय टालना, वक़्त निकालने की कोशिश करना
- The minister was clearly playing for time.
- Stop playing for time and give me a straight answer.
play it safe / play safe
to avoid risks
जोखिम से बचना, सावधानी बरतना
- Let's play it safe and leave early.
- In the exam, play safe and don't attempt questions you are unsure of.
play hard to get
to make yourself seem less interested in sb/sth than you really are, so that people will try harder
भाव खाना, नखरे दिखाना
- She's not really busy — she's just playing hard to get.
- The company played hard to get during the deal.
play into sb's hands
to do exactly what an opponent wants, giving them an advantage
अनजाने में विरोधी के हाथ मज़बूत करना
- If you lose your temper, you'll be playing into his hands.
- The party's quarrels played into the hands of the opposition.
play dirty
to behave in an unfair or dishonest way
बेईमानी करना, गंदा खेल खेलना
- The other team started to play dirty in the second half.
- In politics, some people are willing to play dirty.
→Phrasal verbs 9
play along (with sb/sth)
to pretend to agree with somebody or something
(किसी की बात में) हाँ में हाँ मिलाना, साथ देने का दिखावा करना
- I didn't believe him, but I decided to play along.
play around
to behave in a silly way
(बेवजह) मज़ाक या शरारत करना
- Stop playing around and finish your work.
play at sth
to do something without being serious about it
(किसी काम को) गंभीरता के बिना करना
- He's only playing at being a businessman.
play sth back
to play music, film, etc. that has been recorded
(रिकॉर्डिंग) दोबारा चलाना
- Play back the video so we can see the goal again.
play sth down
to make something seem less important than it really is
(किसी बात को) कम करके आँकना या बताना
- The minister tried to play down the seriousness of the crisis.
play sb off against sb
to put two people or groups in competition with each other to get an advantage
(लाभ के लिए) दो लोगों को आपस में लड़ाना
- She played her two rivals off against each other.
play on/upon sth
to take advantage of somebody's feelings or fears
(किसी की भावनाओं या डर का) फ़ायदा उठाना
- The advertisement plays on people's fears.
play up
(British English, informal) to behave badly; (of a machine) to not work properly
शरारत करना; (मशीन का) ठीक से काम न करना
- My laptop is playing up again.
play out
to happen or develop in a particular way
(घटनाओं का) किसी ढंग से घटित होना
- Let's wait and see how things play out.
≈Synonyms and antonyms
§Grammar and usage
Play + sport (no article: 'play cricket') but play + instrument (with 'the': 'play the guitar').
यह बहुत पूछा जाता है: play + खेल (बिना article: 'play cricket') पर play + वाद्य ('the' के साथ: 'play the guitar')।
“Collocations, idioms and sayings
Play it by ear (decide as things happen), play with fire (do something dangerous), play second fiddle (have a less important role), play into sb's hands (do something that gives your opponent an advantage), play down (make something seem less important), play up (emphasize; cause problems), fair play (honest behaviour), child's play (very easy), play the game (behave fairly), all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Idioms: play it by ear (परिस्थिति के अनुसार तय करना), play with fire (खतरनाक काम करना, आग से खेलना), play second fiddle (कम महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका), play into sb's hands (प्रतिद्वंद्वी को लाभ देने वाला काम करना), play down (कम महत्वपूर्ण दिखाना), play up (ज़ोर देना; समस्या पैदा करना), fair play (ईमानदार व्यवहार), child's play (बहुत आसान, बच्चों का खेल), play the game (निष्पक्ष व्यवहार), all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy।
✓In the exam
One-word substitution
A writer of plays is a playwright or dramatist.
नाटक लिखने वाला playwright या dramatist (नाटककार)।