: 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
One of Kompany’s successes has been to vastly improve his players’ work without the ball.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 7 June 2025
Eight of the Sun’s 10 active players scored at least two points in the win, and the team shot 50% from the field despite going just 3-for-15 from 3-point range.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 7 June 2025
Zawada spent all but one of his high school years in Canada — including a post-grad season at The Hill Academy in Ontario — and became one of the most productive players in Michigan history.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 7 June 2025
Prior to that, in 2017, the former NFL player was arrested on charges of assault, disorderly conduct, obstructing official business and harassment with a bodily substance after allegedly creating a disturbance at the Millennium Hotel in Cincinnati, which police confirmed to PEOPLE at the time.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for player
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Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 7 June 2025
Eight of the Sun’s 10 active players scored at least two points in the win, and the team shot 50% from the field despite going just 3-for-15 from 3-point range.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 7 June 2025
Zawada spent all but one of his high school years in Canada — including a post-grad season at The Hill Academy in Ontario — and became one of the most productive players in Michigan history.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 7 June 2025
Prior to that, in 2017, the former NFL player was arrested on charges of assault, disorderly conduct, obstructing official business and harassment with a bodily substance after allegedly creating a disturbance at the Millennium Hotel in Cincinnati, which police confirmed to PEOPLE at the time.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 7 June 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 10 Jun. 2025.
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