: 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
Around 9:30 on Friday night, the last two St. John’s players to win the Big East Player of the Year met each other in the locker room at Madison Square Garden.
—Tim Casey, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
After seeing his progress hampered by injury issues in recent years, Jones has benefited from how Slot and his staff have improved player availability.
—James Pearce, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025
The most notable players on the report are star forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
The Rays have one of the best farm systems in baseball, and such a scenario would allow Sternberg to remain in control for four highly competitive seasons before the team’s younger players start commanding larger salaries.
—John Romano, Orlando Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for player
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.
Tim Casey, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
After seeing his progress hampered by injury issues in recent years, Jones has benefited from how Slot and his staff have improved player availability.
—James Pearce, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025
The most notable players on the report are star forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
The Rays have one of the best farm systems in baseball, and such a scenario would allow Sternberg to remain in control for four highly competitive seasons before the team’s younger players start commanding larger salaries.
—John Romano, Orlando Sentinel, 15 Mar. 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 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share