: one that plays: such as
a
: a person who plays a game
a baseball player
a chess player
She's one of the team's best players.
b
: a person who plays a musical instrument
a piano player
c
: actor
… what drew these audiences was the emergence of the movie star from the ranks of the wholly anonymous players of a decade earlier.—
David Nasaw
David Nasaw
d
: a device that reproduces recorded material (such as video images or music) from a usually specified medium
a CD player
e
: one actively involved especially in a competitive field or process : participant
a key player in politics
f
or less commonly playa US slang
: a person and especially a man who has many lovers
Handsome and a well-paid professional, Keith, 35, chose to be a player, juggling a series of relatively brief and sometimes over-lapping intimate relationships with women.—Michel Marriott
Michel MarriottThis album has a lot of sexual references. It's almost like Bobby's … a playa.—Elliott Wilson
Elliott WilsonNote: The variant playa is more common in transcribed speech.
Examples of player in a Sentence
She's one of the team's best players.
The band's lead guitar player hurt his hand and couldn't play.
Piano players are called pianists.
Recent Examples on the Web
Related article Opinion: How could a baseball player be worth $700 million?
—Holly Yan, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Kansas City Chiefs player Rashee Rice turned himself in to Texas police after an arrest warrant was issued for the pro athlete in connection to a multi-car collision in Dallas.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
Kansas City Chiefs football player Rashee Rice turned himself in to authorities Thursday evening after Dallas police issued an arrest warrant for him in a hit-and-run crash that injured four people, according to police records.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
Although the Indiana Fever didn’t have the worst record last season (13-27), the team finished in 10th place out of 12 teams and managed to secure the No. 1 pick in the first round of player selection.
—Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
No one’s experience playing Fallout is the same, compared to the linear narrative of The Last of Us, in which all players encounter the same people and obstacles, and the game can only end one way.
—Richard Newby, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
Like Bowers a three-and-out college player who averaged 15.2 yards per catch as a junior.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Rory McIlroy is a green jacket away from a career grand slam, something only five players have done in the history of golf.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The 28-year-old women’s basketball league has teamed up with buzzy brands that drive cultural conversations, much like its own players do.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
Holly Yan, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Kansas City Chiefs player Rashee Rice turned himself in to Texas police after an arrest warrant was issued for the pro athlete in connection to a multi-car collision in Dallas.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
Kansas City Chiefs football player Rashee Rice turned himself in to authorities Thursday evening after Dallas police issued an arrest warrant for him in a hit-and-run crash that injured four people, according to police records.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
Although the Indiana Fever didn’t have the worst record last season (13-27), the team finished in 10th place out of 12 teams and managed to secure the No. 1 pick in the first round of player selection.
—Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
No one’s experience playing Fallout is the same, compared to the linear narrative of The Last of Us, in which all players encounter the same people and obstacles, and the game can only end one way.
—Richard Newby, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
Like Bowers a three-and-out college player who averaged 15.2 yards per catch as a junior.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Rory McIlroy is a green jacket away from a career grand slam, something only five players have done in the history of golf.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The 28-year-old women’s basketball league has teamed up with buzzy brands that drive cultural conversations, much like its own players do.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'player.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near player
Cite this Entry
“Player.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/player. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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