: 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
Johnson said Olinger impacted the program in many ways, including coaching at youth camps and clinics, forming bonds with younger players and putting the team above herself.
—Tom Schardin, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Four players were announced as the next class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
—Ryan Morik, Fox News, 7 Feb. 2025
Newton took three charges, all from different players, during the Warriors’ 78-56 DuPage Valley Conference win over visiting Naperville North in Aurora on Thursday night.
—Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
These youngsters should be leaning on the senior players for support and guidance in games of this magnitude, not the other way around.
—Jay Harris, The Athletic, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for player 
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Tom Schardin, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Four players were announced as the next class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
—Ryan Morik, Fox News, 7 Feb. 2025
Newton took three charges, all from different players, during the Warriors’ 78-56 DuPage Valley Conference win over visiting Naperville North in Aurora on Thursday night.
—Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
These youngsters should be leaning on the senior players for support and guidance in games of this magnitude, not the other way around.
—Jay Harris, The Athletic, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for player
Dictionary Entries Near player
Cite this Entry
“Player.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/player. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
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