action vs play

action

noun
  • Sexual intercourse. 

  • Something done, often so as to accomplish a purpose. 

  • A religious performance or solemn function, i.e. action sermon, a sacramental sermon in the Scots Presbyterian Church. 

  • The mechanism, that is the set of moving mechanical parts, of a keyboard instrument, like a piano, which transfers the motion of the key to the sound-making device. 

  • The effort of performing or doing something. 

  • a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings). 

  • A way of motion or functioning. 

  • The way in which a mechanical device acts when used; especially a firearm. 

  • Fast-paced activity. 

  • The event or connected series of events, either real or imaginary, forming the subject of a play, poem, or other composition; the unfolding of the drama of events. 

  • The distance separating the strings and the fretboard on a guitar or other string instrument. 

  • A charge or other process in a law court (also called lawsuit and actio). 

  • A mapping from a pairing of mathematical objects to one of them, respecting their individual structures. The pairing is typically a Cartesian product or a tensor product. The object that is not part of the output is said to act on the other object. In any given context, action is used as an abbreviation for a more fully named notion, like group action or left group action. 

  • The attitude or position of the several parts of the body as expressive of the sentiment or passion depicted. 

  • Combat. 

  • spin put on the bowling ball. 

  • The product of energy and time, especially the product of the Lagrangian and time. 

  • The way in which cartridges are loaded, locked, and extracted from the mechanism. 

adj
  • arrogant 

intj
  • Demanding or signifying the start of something, usually a performance. 

verb
  • To act on a request etc, in order to put it into effect. 

play

noun
  • Sexual activity or sexual role-playing. 

  • A geological formation that contains an accumulation or prospect of hydrocarbons or other resources. 

  • An instance of watching or listening to digital media. 

  • The extent to which a part of a mechanism can move freely, as for example lash, backlash, or slack. 

  • Movement (of a pattern of light etc.) 

  • An individual's performance in a sport or game. 

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

  • A button that, when pressed, causes media to be played. 

  • Activity for amusement only, especially among the young. 

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

  • An attempt to move forward, as in a plan or strategy, for example by a business, investor, or political party. 

  • The conduct, or course, of a game. 

  • A short sequence of action within a game. 

  • An action carried out when it is one's turn to play. 

  • A theatrical performance featuring actors. 

verb
  • To act with levity or thoughtlessness; to trifle; to be careless. 

  • Contrary to fact, to give an appearance of being. 

  • To be performed; (or of a film) to be shown. 

  • To manipulate, deceive, or swindle someone. 

  • To move to and fro. 

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

  • To compete against, in a game. 

  • To act; to behave; to practice deception. 

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

  • To produce music using a musical instrument. 

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

  • To take part in amorous activity; to make love. 

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

  • To kid; to joke; say something for amusement. 

  • (in the scoring of games and sports) To be the opposing score to. 

  • To gamble. 

  • To act as the indicated role, especially in a performance. 

  • To produce music. 

  • To act or perform (a play). 

  • To bring into sportive or wanton action; to exhibit in action; to execute. 

  • To put in action or motion. 

  • To keep in play, as a hooked fish in order to land it. 

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

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

How often have the words action and play occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )