wordplay
noun
word·play
| \ ˈwərd-ˌplā
\
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Definition of wordplay
: playful use of words : verbal wit
Examples of wordplay in a Sentence
Oscar Wilde was famous for his witty wordplay.
Recent Examples on the Web
The lyrics instead mostly preoccupy themselves with wordplay that swings between excellence and something worse than a dad joke. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Chance the Rapper Wants You to Get Married," 30 July 2019 Great on his own, especially here, with some expert wordplay on his verses and an infectious, boastful flow. — Billboard Staff, Billboard, "The 50 Best Songs of 2018 (So Far): Critics' Picks," 6 June 2018 Vintage Conway: profound, pathbreaking, disturbing, original, dazzling, witty and splattered with outrageous Carrollian wordplay. — Quanta Magazine, "A Life in Games," 28 Aug. 2015 In the end, its nonsensical tide of wordplay made total sense. — Manuel Mendoza, Dallas News, "There was none better than Katherine Owens, whose brilliant career at Undermain Theatre ends at 61," 23 July 2019 Appropriation for the sake of wordplay can’t even be characterized as a tribute to Japan or a nod to the culture. — Ephrat Livni, Quartzy, "Read the letter from Kyoto’s mayor to Kim Kardashian protesting “Kimono” shapewear," 30 June 2019 The wordplay is relentless as a quartet of scholarly men try (and fail) to avoid romance, and slapstick acting sometimes just gets in the way. — Washington Post, "13 things to do in the D.C. area this week," 10 June 2019 The story can also illustrate the perils of wordplay, of course. — Luc Sante, Harper's magazine, "A Crew of Variegated Weirdos," 10 Jan. 2019 Listeners learn to pay attention for the best bits of wordplay and invention. — Erin Macleod, The New York Review of Books, "Dancehall: Raising the Voices of the Dead," 22 May 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wordplay.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for wordplay
wordplay
noun
English Language Learners Definition of wordplay
: playful or clever use of words
See the full definition for wordplay in the English Language Learners Dictionary