play vs skip

play

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

  • 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 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. 

noun
  • 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. 

  • Sexual activity or sexual role-playing. 

  • 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. 

skip

verb
  • To move by hopping on alternate feet. 

  • To cause the stylus to jump back to the previous loop of the record's groove, continously repeating that part of the sound, as a result of excessive scratching or wear. 

  • To skim, ricochet or bounce over a surface. 

  • To pass by a stitch as if it were not there, continuing with the next stitch. 

  • To place an item in a skip (etymology 2, sense 1). 

  • To throw (something), making it skim, ricochet, or bounce over a surface. 

  • To disregard, miss or omit part of a continuation (some item or stage). 

  • To have insufficient ink transfer. 

  • To leap about lightly. 

  • Not to attend (some event, especially a class or a meeting). 

  • To jump rope. 

  • To leave, especially in a sudden and covert manner. 

  • To leap lightly over. 

noun
  • A large open-topped container for waste, designed to be lifted onto the back of a truck to remove it along with its contents. (see also skep). 

  • A college servant. 

  • A skip car. 

  • The player who calls the shots and traditionally throws the last two rocks. 

  • An Australian of Anglo-Celtic descent. 

  • A leaping, jumping or skipping movement. 

  • The scoutmaster of a troop of scouts (youth organization) and their form of address to him. 

  • The act of passing over an interval from one thing to another; an omission of a part. 

  • A wheeled basket used in cotton factories. 

  • A skep, or basket, such as a creel or a handbasket. 

  • A person who attempts to disappear so as not to be found. 

  • A charge of syrup in the pans. 

  • A passage from one sound to another by more than a degree at once. 

  • skywave propagation 

  • The captain of a sports team. Also, a form of address by the team to the captain. 

  • The captain of a bowls team, who directs the team's tactics and rolls the side's last wood, so as to be able to retrieve a difficult situation if necessary. 

  • A beehive. 

  • A transportation container in a mine, usually for ore or mullock. 

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