player

noun

ˈplā-ər How to pronounce player (audio)
Definition of playernext
1
as in instrumentalist
a person who plays a musical instrument a horn player

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in actor
one who acts professionally (as in a play, movie, or television show) a troupe of players used to give performances on the town green

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in participant
one who takes part in something a significant player in the negotiations

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of player Livingston is now an outstanding player on Telfair County’s girls basketball team, which went 20-8 last season. — Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 5 Oct. 2026 Judging from social media and sports talk radio, the fans, however, might not feel the same about Glenn or many of those players. — ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026 No wonder several players on the field took knees for him and then gathered around him as the cart was about to leave the field. — Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026 Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are among the Chiefs players who welcome the idea of Hill’s return. — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for player
Recent Examples of Synonyms for player
  1. instrumentalist
  2. actor
  3. participant
  4. musician
  5. performer
  6. participator
  7. artist
  8. actress
Noun
  • Love, at 85 years old, is the sole member of the original Beach Boys lineup who still tours under that name, performing all their classic, SPF-friendly hits with younger instrumentalists.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Ken Pomeroy won emerging act of the year, and the award for instrumentalist of the year went to Mandy Far.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of instrumentalist
Noun
  • The 10-part, half-hour format is the brainchild of German actor, comedian and YouTuber Torge Oerlich, known to his followers as Freshtorge.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Thousands of actors, directors, writers and producers signed a letter protesting the deal.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of actor
Noun
  • The Associated Press spoke last week to participants and doctors at the health center where the trial is taking place in the eastern province of Ituri, the epicenter of the outbreak.
    — CONSTANT SAME BAGALWA, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Most of the participants are young adults, many of whom were born decades after the Doors’ last album was released.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of participant
Noun
  • Livia’s sister-in-law invokes the poem when Livia learns, to her surprise, that her manipulative, abusive mother had been a frustrated musician.
    — Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Most Read Reviews Appropriately enough for two musicians working at the cutting edge of this underground, Bowery Electric’s Martha Schwendener and Lawrence Chandler met while working at pre-fab master Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of musician
Noun
  • That suggests that the filmmaker and performer is not on the general public’s radar in as big a way as the breathless media coverage suggests.
    — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Her crime was objecting, out loud, when another performer railed against Israel from a stage.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of performer
Noun
  • And in doing so, Gunther often lulls crowds into becoming sporting event spectators rather than the raucous participators that most other wrestlers try to draw out of them.
    — Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
Definition of participator
Noun
  • The honor recognizes artists whose careers and creative choices illuminate complex, boundary-crossing stories and expand representation in global entertainment.
    — Mathew Scott, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The island’s permanent Art House invites guests—of all ages—to get creative on canvas or pottery with the guidance of its resident artist.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of artist
Noun
  • That feature motivated the actress to approach Novig about taking an equity stake in the company, said Jacob Fortinsky, the company’s co-founder.
    — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The narrative film jury was comprised of directors Cary Joji Fukunaga and Fernando Eimbcke, actress Ella Rumpf, producer Julie Billy and Walter Fasano, director, film editor and screenwriter.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of actress

Browse Nearby Words

played (with)
player
players
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Cite this Entry

“Player.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/player. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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