Word.ws English Dictionary

play on words

play on words noun: a pun, or similar humorous use of language such as a double entendre.

Noun

play on words (plural plays on words)

  1. (idiomatic) A pun, or similar humorous use of language such as a double entendre.
    • Mr. Steevens alſo, influenced we ſuppoſe by the authority of Dr. Farmer, ſeems by the way in which he regulates the line in his new edition, to think that Shakſpeare here meaned no more than a play on words.1794, Mr. Malone's Edition of Shakſpeare's Works, in The Monthly Review Or Literary Journal Enlarged [2nd Series], Volume 13, R. Griffiths, page 265
    • There are two general classes under which all the examples are grouped: plays on words which are due to a double meaning, and the plays merely on sound (die Laut- oder Klaugspiele). The term for the latter group Dr. Wurth gives as puns, punnings.1897, Jas. W. Tupper, English Drama: Das Wortspiel bei Shakspere, von Leopold Wurth, A. Marshall Elliott (managing editor), Modern Language Notes, Volume XII, page 171
    Synonyms:
    paronomasia

play on words meaning in Tamil

play on words in Tamil

சொட்டை, சொற்சித்திரம்

Synonyms of play on words

Forms of play on words

pluralplays on words
alternative formplay of words

Questions about play on words

What does play on words mean?
Play on words means a pun, or similar humorous use of language such as a double entendre.
What is play on words in Tamil?
Play on words in Tamil is சொட்டை, சொற்சித்திரம். See Play on words meaning in Tamil.
What part of speech is play on words?
Play on words is a noun.
What is the plural of play on words?
The plural of play on words is plays on words.

Words near play on words in the dictionary

  1. play Old Gooseberry
  2. play Old Harry
  3. play Old Harry with
  4. play on
  5. play on someone's heartstrings
  6. play on words
  7. play one against another
  8. play one's cards right
  9. play one's cards well
  10. play one's guts out
  11. play one's hand right

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: play on words (page history and authors); play on words (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-play on words.ogg.

Cite this entry: “play on words.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/play_on_words. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.