play-play

verb

To mess around, to play around; to take things lightly.

OriginMandarin 玩玩 →
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Meanings

play-play1

verbplay-play (invariable)
  1. ManglishSinglishinvariableTo mess around, to play around; to take things lightly.

    Don't play-play hor.

    Don't play around, alright?

    1 more example

    […] Don’t play play... This is not your basic luxury condo. […]

    2009, Jean Tay, Boom, Epigram Books, →ISBN, Act I, scene iv

play-play2

adjectiveplay-play (comparative more play-play, superlative most play-play)

comparative more play-play · superlative most play-play

  1. South AfricacolloquialFake, toy, make-believe

    They’re at the age when they want more than just a play-play watch.

    1989 December, Edgars Christmas Catalogue

Origin

play-play · verb

  1. Mandarin玩玩
  2. Englishplay-play

Reduplication of play, influenced by Malay grammar (Malay main-main), or a calque of Mandarin 玩玩 (wánwan).

More words from Mandarin

Full word history & related roots →

play-play · adjective

  1. Afrikaansspeel-speel
  2. Englishplay-play

Reduplication of play, possibly influenced by Afrikaans speel-speel.

More words from Afrikaans

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

play-play. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play-play

MLA

“play-play.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play-play. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “play-play,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play-play.

Source: play-play on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.