: 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
There are tons of different options available for players on DraftKings Sportsbook.
—Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
To hear our full conversation, click through here or watch the video player below.
—Forbestv, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
The Olympic silver medalists have now lost three straight times to the U.S, even as players are elevating their individual game at top clubs around the world.
—Emily Olsen, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
The group of former Northwestern football players have reportedly agreed to settle their lawsuits against the school, which alleged hazing and abusive behavior.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for player
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
To hear our full conversation, click through here or watch the video player below.
—Forbestv, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
The Olympic silver medalists have now lost three straight times to the U.S, even as players are elevating their individual game at top clubs around the world.
—Emily Olsen, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
The group of former Northwestern football players have reportedly agreed to settle their lawsuits against the school, which alleged hazing and abusive behavior.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for player
Cite this Entry
“Player.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/player. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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