Meaning & use
played
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“played” is a form of “play”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
Past tense and past participle of play: took part in a game or sport.
Grammar: Can take an object (played chess) or stand alone (they played all day).
Patterns
- played a game
- played for a team
- played against someone
We played soccer in the park until dark.
She played for the national team for ten years.
The children played together in the yard.
verbtransitive or intransitivemusic
Performed music, or acted a part, on an instrument or stage.
Grammar: Takes an object: played the piano.
Patterns
- played the guitar
- played the role of someone
He played the violin at the wedding.
She played the lead role in the school musical.
The band played their biggest hit last.
verbtransitiveinformalslang
Tricked or manipulated someone, usually by pretending to be honest, often used in the passive.
Grammar: Takes a person as object: He played me. Often passive: I got played.
Patterns
- get played
- be played by someone
She realized she had been played by a con artist.
He felt played after discovering the fake offer.
Don't get played by those slick promises.
Word forms
| base form | play |
|---|---|
| third person singular | plays |
| -ing form | playing |
Common combinations
- played well
- The team played well in the final.
- played a part
- Luck played a part in her success.
- played the field
- He played the field before marrying.
- got played
- He got played by the scam.
- played down
- The mayor played down the risk.
- played out
- The scene played out exactly as planned.
Synonyms and how they differ
- competed
- Competed stresses contest and rivalry, where played is broader and can be just for fun.
- performed
- Performed fits a show or recital, while played is the plain word for music and games.
- fooled
- Fooled is the general word for deceiving, whereas played implies a deliberate, manipulative trick.
- duped
- Duped is more formal and suggests being cheated of something.
Word family
Commonly confused: played or plied? played or plaid?
played vs plied
Plied is the past tense of ply, to work at something or supply repeatedly, and is not related to playing.
played vs plaid
Plaid is a checked pattern of cloth and sounds nothing like played.
Practice
Which sentence uses played in the sense of being tricked?
Choose one answer.
Being played means being manipulated. The other sentences use played for music or sport.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “played”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.