Play vs Piece - What's the difference?

As verbs the difference between play and piece

is that play is to act in a manner such that one has fun; to engage in activities expressly for the purpose of recreation or entertainment while piece is to assemble (something real or figurative).

As nouns the difference between play and piece

is that play is activity for amusement only, especially among the young while piece is a part of a larger whole, usually in such a form that it is able to be separated from other parts.

play

English

Verb

(en verb)

(lb) To act in a manner such that one has fun; to engage in activities expressly for the purpose of recreation or entertainment.

*2001 , Annabelle Sabloff, Reordering the Natural World , Univ. of Toronto Press, p.83:

*:A youngstergo on vacation, play in the same way that he did with his friends, and so on.

*2003 , Anne-Nelly Perret-Clermont et al. (eds.), Joining Society: Social Interaction and Learning in Adolescence and Youth , Cambridge Univ. Press, p.52:

*:We had to play for an hour, so that meant that we didn't have time to play and joke around.

(lb) To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game).

#(lb) To compete against, in a game.

#*{{quote-news, year=2011, date=November 12, work=BBC Sport

, title= International friendly: England 1-0 Spain , passage=England will not be catapulted among the favourites for Euro 2012 as a result of this win, but no victory against Spain is earned easily and it is right they take great heart from their efforts as they now prepare to play Sweden at Wembley on Tuesday.}}

(label) To take part in amorous activity; to make love, fornicate; to have sex.

*1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queene) , II.iv:

*:Her proper face / I not descerned in that darkesome shade, / But weend it was my loue, with whom he playd .

(lb) To act as the indicated role, especially in a performance.

*{{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= Katrina G. Claw

, title= Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm , volume=101, issue=3, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.}}

To produce music or theatre.

# To produce music.

#*2007 , Dan Erlewine, Guitar Player Repair Guide (ISBN 0879309210), page 220:

#*:If your guitar plays well on fretted strings but annoys you on the open ones, the nut's probably worn out.

# To produce music using a musical instrument.

# To produce music (or a specified song or musical style) using (a specified musical instrument).

# To use a device to watch or listen to the indicated recording.

# to be shown.

# To perform in or at; to give performances in or at.

#*2008 , My Life: From Normandy to Hockeytown (ISBN 0966412087), p.30:

#*:I got a hold of Louis (Satchmo) Armstrong's agent and I explained to him on the phone that, "I know you're playing' London on Wednesday night. Why don't you come and ' play the Arena in Windsor on Saturday night?"

#(lb) To act or perform (a play).

(lb) To behave in a particular way.

#(lb) Contrary to fact, to give an appearance of being.

#*(rfdate) Sir (Walter Scott) (1771-1832)

#*:Thou canst play the rational if thou wilt.

#*1985 , Sharon S. Brehm, Intimate Relationships :

#*:Playing hard to get is not the same as slamming the door in someone's face.

#*1996 , Michael P. Malone, James J Hill: Empire Builder of the Northwest :

#*:Now, surveying his final link, he had the nice advantage of being able to play coy with established port cities that desperately wanted his proven railroad.

#*2003 , John U. Ogbu, Black American Students in an Affluent Suburb: A Study of Academic Disengagement , p.194:

#*:Instead, they played dumb, remained silent, and did their classwork.

#(lb) To act with levity or thoughtlessness; to trifle; to be careless.

#*(rfdate) Sir (1628–1699):

#*:Men are apt to play with their healths.

#(lb) To act; to behave; to practice deception.

#*(rfdate) (William Shakespeare) (1564-1616):

#*:His mother played false with a smith.

#(lb) To bring into sportive or wanton action; to exhibit in action; to execute.

#*(rfdate) (John Milton) (1608-1674):

#*:Nature here / Wantoned as in her prime, and played at will / Her virgin fancies.

#*:The Bat—they called him the Bat.. He'd never been in stir, the bulls had never mugged him, he didn't run with a mob, he played a lone hand, and fenced his stuff so that even the fence couldn't swear he knew his face.

(lb) To move in any manner; especially, to move regularly with alternate or reciprocating motion; to operate.

*(rfdate) (1671-1743):

*:The heart beats, the blood circulates, the lungs play .

*:The colonel and his sponsor made a queer contrast: Greystone [the sponsor] long and stringy, with a face that seemed as if a cold wind was eternally playing on it.

(lb) To move gaily; to disport.

*(rfdate) (William Shakespeare) (1564-1616):

*:even as the waving sedges play with wind

*(rfdate) (Joseph Addison) (1672-1719):

*:The setting sun / Plays on their shining arms and burnished helmets.

*(rfdate) (Alexander Pope) (1688-1744):

*:All fame is foreign but of true desert, / Plays round the head, but comes not to the heart.

(lb) To put in action or motion.

(lb) To keep in play, as a hooked fish, in order to land it.

Noun

Activity for amusement only, especially among the young.

* Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

She was fond of all boys' plays , and greatly preferred cricket

(uncountable) Similar activity, in young animals, as they explore their environment and learn new skills.

(uncountable, ethology) "Repeated, incompletely functional behavior differing from more serious versions ..., and initiated voluntarily when ... in a low-stress setting."

The conduct, or course of a game.

(countable) An individual's performance in a sport or game.

(countable) (turn-based games ) An action carried out when it is one's turn to play.

(countable) A literary composition, intended to be represented by actors impersonating the characters and speaking the dialogue.

(countable) A theatrical performance featuring actors.

We saw a two-act play in the theatre.

(countable) A major move by a business.

(countable) A geological formation that contains an accumulation or prospect of hydrocarbons or other resources.

(uncountable) The extent to which a part of a mechanism can move freely.

No wonder the fanbelt is slipping: there’s too much play in it.

Too much play in a steering wheel may be dangerous.

(uncountable, informal) Sexual role-playing.

* 1996 , Sabrina P Ramet, Gender reversals and gender cultures

The rarity of male domination in fantasy play is readily explained.

* 1996 , "toptigger", (on Internet newsgroup alt.personals.spanking.punishment )

Palm Springs M seeks sane F 4 safe bdsm play

* 2013 , Rachel Kramer Bussel, Best Bondage Erotica 2014

There were none of the usual restrictions on public nudity or sexual interaction in the club environment. Still, the night was young, and as he'd made his way to the bar to order Mistress Ramona a gin and tonic, he'd seen little in the way of play .

* 2014 , Jiri T. Servant, Facts About Bondage - Bondage Guide For Beginners

This type of play allows some people to relax and enjoy being given pleasure without having to think about giving pleasure back at the same time.

(countable) A button that, when pressed, causes media to be played.

Synonyms

* (literary composition) drama * See also

Derived terms

* airplay * all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy * at play * bloodplay * child's play * close of play * double play * downplay * fair play * fireplay * force play * foreplay * foul play * grandstand play * learn to play * long play * nativity play * mystery play * outdoor play * passion play * pissplay * playact/play-act * play about * play along * play around * play back * play ball * playbill * playboy * play by ear * play by play, play-by-play * play date, playdate * play dead * play doctor * playdough * play down * play dumb * player * play fair * play fast and loose * play fight/play-fight/playfight * play for love * playful * play games * playground * play hardball * play hard to get * play hob with * play hooky * play house * playhouse * play in * play it by ear * play it safe * play lunch * playmate * play money * playoff/play-off/play off * play Old Harry * play on * play one against another * play one's cards right * play on words * playout/play out * playpen * play possum * playroom * playschool * play second fiddle * play silly buggers * play someone like a fiddle * playsuit * play the angles * play the devil * play the field * play the fool * play the hand one is dealt * play the ponies * play the race card * play the same tape * play the white man * plaything * playtime * play to the gallery * play to win * play truant * play up * play upon * playwear * play with * play with fire * play with oneself * playwright * plug-and-play * power play * quad play * radio play * rain stopped play * roleplay/role play/role-play * screen play/screenplay * shadow play * squeeze play * triple play * turnabout is fair play * two can play that game * war play * when the cat's away the mice will play * word play/wordplay

Statistics

* 1000 English basic words ----

piece

English

Alternative forms

* peece (obsolete)

Noun

(en noun)

A part of a larger whole, usually in such a form that it is able to be separated from other parts.

A single item belonging to a class of similar items: as, for example, a piece of machinery, a piece of software.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= Welcome to the plastisphere , passage=[The researchers] noticed many of their pieces of [plastic marine] debris sported surface pits around two microns across. Such pits are about the size of a bacterial cell. Closer examination showed that some of these pits did, indeed, contain bacteria, […].}}

(chess) One of the figures used in playing chess, specifically a higher-value figure as distinguished from a pawn; by extension, a similar counter etc. in other games.

* 1959 , (Hans Kmoch), Pawn Power in Chess , I:

Pawns, unlike pieces , move only in one direction: forward.

A coin, especially one valued at less than the principal unit of currency.

a sixpenny piece

An artistic creation, such as a painting, sculpture, musical composition, literary work, etc.

An artillery gun.

(US, Canada, colloquial) (short for hairpiece); a toupee or wig, usually when worn by a man.

A slice or other quantity of bread, eaten on its own; a sandwich or light snack.

* 2008 , (James Kelman), Kieron Smith, Boy , Penguin 2009, p. 46:

My grannie came and gived them all a piece and jam and cups of water then I was to bring them back out to the street and play a game.

(US, colloquial) A gun.

(US, colloquial, vulgar) A sexual encounter; from piece of ass or piece of tail

(US, colloquial, mildly, vulgar) (short for "piece of crap") a shoddy or worthless object, usually applied to consumer products like vehicles or appliances.

(US, slang) A cannabis pipe.

(baseball) Used to describe a pitch that has been hit but not well, usually either being caught by the opposing team or going foul. Usually used in the past tense with got, and never used in the plural.

(dated, sometimes, derogatory) An individual; a person.

* Sir Philip Sidney

If I had not been a piece of a logician before I came to him.

* Shakespeare

Thy mother was a piece of virtue.

* Coleridge

His own spirit is as unsettled a piece as there is in all the world.

(obsolete) A castle; a fortified building.

(Spenser)

(US) A pacifier.

Synonyms

* See also * See also

Usage notes

When used as a baseball term, the term is idiomatic in that the baseball is almost never broken into pieces. It is rare in modern baseball for the cover of a baseball to even partially tear loose. In professional baseball, several new, not previously played baseballs are used in each game. It could be argued that the phrase was never meant (not even metaphorically) to refer to breaking the ball into pieces, and that "get a piece of the ball" means the bat contacts only a small area of the ball - in other words, that the ball is hit off-center. In that case "get" would mean "succeed in hitting", not "obtain".

Derived terms

* bits and pieces * piecemeal * piecen * piece of cake * piece of eight * piece of the action

Verb

(piec)

(transitive, usually, with together) To assemble (something real or figurative).

These clues allowed us to piece together the solution to the mystery.

* Fuller

His adversaries pieced themselves together in a joint opposition against him.

To make, enlarge, or repair, by the addition of a piece or pieces; to patch; often with out .

to piece a garment

(Shakespeare)

(slang) To produce a work of graffiti more complex than a tag.

* 2009 , Gregory J. Snyder, Graffiti Lives: Beyond the Tag in New York's Urban Underground (page 40)

It is incorrect to say that toys tag and masters piece ; toys just do bad tags, bad throw-ups, and bad pieces.

* 2009 , Scape Martinez, GRAFF: The Art & Technique of Graffiti (page 124)

It is often used to collect other writer's tags, and future plans for bombing and piecing .

Derived terms

* piece together * repiece * unpiece 1000 English basic words ----