Play vs Sport - What's the difference?

Sport is a synonym of play.

In intransitive terms the difference between play and sport

is that play is to move gaily; to disport while sport is to mock or tease, treat lightly, toy with.

In transitive terms the difference between play and sport

is that play is to keep in play, as a hooked fish, in order to land it while sport is to represent by any kind of play.

In uncountable terms the difference between play and sport

is that play is the extent to which a part of a mechanism can move freely while sport is gaming for money as in racing, hunting, fishing.

In countable terms the difference between play and sport

is that play is a button that, when pressed, causes media to be played while sport is a toy; a plaything; an object of mockery.

As an acronym SPORT is

strategic Partnership On REACH Testing.

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 ----

sport

English

(wikipedia sport)

Noun

(countable) Any activity that uses physical exertion or skills competitively under a set of rules that is not based on aesthetics.

(countable) A person who exhibits either good or bad sportsmanship.

* Jen may have won, but she was sure a poor sport ; she laughed at the loser.

* The loser was a good sport , and congratulated Jen on her performance.

(countable) Somebody who behaves or reacts in an admirable manner, a good sport.

* You're such a sport ! You never get upset when we tease you.

(obsolete) That which diverts, and makes mirth; pastime; amusement.

* Shakespeare

Think it but a minute spent in sport .

* Sir Philip Sidney

Her sports were such as carried riches of knowledge upon the stream of delight.

* Hey Diddle Diddle

The little dog laughed to see such sport , and the dish ran away with the spoon.

(obsolete) Mockery; derision.

* Shakespeare

Then make sport at me; then let me be your jest.

(countable) A toy; a plaything; an object of mockery.

* Dryden

flitting leaves, the sport of every wind

* John Clarke

Never does man appear to greater disadvantage than when he is the sport of his own ungoverned passions.

(uncountable) Gaming for money as in racing, hunting, fishing.

(biology, botany, zoology, countable) A plant or an animal, or part of a plant or animal, which has some peculiarity not usually seen in the species; an abnormal variety or growth. The term encompasses both mutants and organisms with non-genetic developmental abnormalities such as birth defects.

* '>citation

(slang, countable) A sportsman; a gambler.

(slang, countable) One who consorts with disreputable people, including prostitutes.

(obsolete, uncountable) An amorous dalliance.

* Charlie and Lisa enjoyed a bit of sport after their hike.

(informal, usually singular) A friend or acquaintance (chiefly used when speaking to the friend in question)

* {{quote-magazine

, date= , year=1924 , month=July , first= , last= , author=Ellis Butler , coauthors= , title=The Little Tin Godlets , volume=25 , issue=1 , page=14 , magazine=The Rotarian , publisher=Rotary International , issn= citation , passage="Say, sport !" he would say briskly.}}

(obsolete) Play; idle jingle.

* Broome

An author who should introduce such a sport of words upon our stage would meet with small applause.

Derived terms

* air sport * blood sport * combat sport * contact sport * cue sport * extreme sport * flying sport * good sport * individual sport * mind sport * motorsport * old sport * poor sport * professional sport * spectator sport * spoilsport * sportsman * sportsmanship * sport jacket * sport stacking * sport utility vehicle * team sport * watersport * wheelchair sport * winter sport

Verb

(en verb)

To amuse oneself, to play.

To mock or tease, treat lightly, toy with.

* Tillotson

He sports with his own life.

To display; to have as a notable feature.

* {{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, […].}}

(reflexive) To divert; to amuse; to make merry.

* Bible, Isa. lvii. 4

Against whom do ye sport yourselves?

To represent by any kind of play.

* (John Dryden)

Now sporting on thy lyre the loves of youth.

To practise the diversions of the field or the turf; to be given to betting, as upon races.

To assume suddenly a new and different character from the rest of the plant or from the type of the species; said of a bud, shoot, plant, or animal.

(Darwin)

Anagrams

* ports * strop 1000 English basic words ----