played

past tense of play
1
2
3
as in mocked
to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior stop playing the innocent, because I know that you were behind that prank

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
5
6
as in put
to risk (something) on the outcome of an uncertain event figuring that she had little to lose, she played her last few bucks on the state lottery

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of played Montgomery played a role offensively in the bottom of the seventh when the Sox tied the score. Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026 Heat president Pat Riley said in April that games played will be important factor moving forward in free agent decisions. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026 This time green and red shared the spotlight as Algeria played Austria in a Group J match, the final one that determined who would advance to the knockout stage. Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 28 June 2026 The rivalry is so intense that overnight in Mexico, fans played instruments, sang, and made as much noise as possible outside the Ecuador team hotel to deprive the squad of sleep. Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 1 July 2026 The Smith Family Foundation has played a leadership role in Trenton, New Jersey, for a decade. Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 28 June 2026 Harmon played Gibbs for 18-plus seasons on NCIS, departing a few episodes into the 2021-22 season. Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2026 When Doncic played for the Dallas Mavericks and led them to the 2024 NBA Finals, his two centers — Derek Lively and Daniel Gafford — were exceptional in their roles as lob threats, blocking shots and rolling to the rim. Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026 Most recently, Danson has starred in the Netflix comedy series, A Man on the Inside and has played himself in the quintessential comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm, which recently concluded its 12th and final season on HBO. Denise Petski, Deadline, 30 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for played
Verb
  • Higgins also recreated Zendaya’s iconic tennis ball heels from the Challengers press tour.
    Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 1 July 2026
  • Shooting took place across Ho Chi Minh City and Orange County and Los Angeles, California, in April 2025, with the bulk of the wartime sequences captured on Vietnamese soil rather than recreated on a studio backlot abroad.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • Court reporters say the job can be performed only by a human being, who can intervene to ensure everyone is heard and who bears responsibility if a transcript is missing or incomplete.
    Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Atlas performed a series of soccer moves developed using a combination of motion retargeting, reinforcement learning and whole-body control.
    Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
Verb
  • That single test would have stopped Tank Day before a designer ever mocked up a poster.
    Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • On Wednesday, Smith mocked the team's trade for Walker Kessler, pairing him with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
    Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • In the living room, a tabby cat with a clipped ear lounged on a velvet couch, her front paws propping open an illustrated catalogue of military aircraft.
    Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
  • The couple giggled between kisses and lounged on a red-and-white picnic blanket while overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
    Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2026
Verb
  • The tension between the various competing interests is handled with nuance and without taking sides, all while showing both the pitfalls and the wondrous potential of this annual spectacle.
    Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • Pelosi did not have alcohol in his system and he was not arrested at the scene, the sheriff's office added, noting that such cases are commonly handled as misdemeanors.
    Christopher Cann, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Verb
  • In his fifth-inning at-bat, Stephenson was on the other side of two successful challenges by Rutschman that put him down 1-2 in the count instead of up 3-0.
    C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 6 July 2026
  • Go on, put the 131-cube (2,147 cc) monster engine into that one.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 July 2026
Verb
  • Mexico returned from halftime with great momentum in front of a crowd that had been entertained at halftime by the Mexican band Maná.
    Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Gillian's Wonderland Pier in Ocean City was a Jersey Shore landmark that entertained families for decades.
    Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
Verb
  • Critics have portrayed the idea as anti-religious and ahistorical ever since the Supreme Court embraced it in 1947.
    Steven K. Green, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
  • Only in these United States can the progeny of people once portrayed as parasites and invaders side with those making the same argument about the latest batch of newcomers.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Cite this Entry

“Played.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/played. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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