roleplay

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UK/ˈrəʊl.pleɪ/US/ˈroʊl.pleɪ/US, nonstandard/ˈroʊ.pleɪ/

verb

To act out a scenario or fantasy with another person or other people.

“He likes to roleplay a vampire.”

Similar
RPactplayplayactrepresent
Less commonScrabble 13
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Meanings

verbroleplay (third-person singular simple present roleplays, present participle roleplaying, simple past and past participle roleplayed)

present singular third person roleplays · participle present roleplaying · participle past roleplayed · past roleplayed · alternative role play · alternative role-play · alternative dated rôle play · alternative dated rôle-play · alternative dated rôleplay

  1. intransitiveTo act out a scenario or fantasy with another person or other people.

    To spice up their sex life, they like to roleplay.

  2. transitiveTo act as a character as part of a fantasy, especially with a group.

    He likes to roleplay a vampire.

    1 more example

    The particular person roleplaying Beatty in that battle suggested summarily executing Seymour and dumping him overboard.

    2018 October 17, Drachinifel, 30:18 from the start, in Last Ride of the High Seas Fleet - Battle of Texel 1918, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2022
  3. intransitivetransitiveTo act out a social role, especially one that one does not truly belong to.

    He talks like he's some scrappy bootstrap entrepreneur but he's just some old money rich kid roleplaying.

    1 more example

    Realizing that she was an 'other' not only as a black woman but also as a black lesbian, she struggles to fiind someplace where she and other black lesbians like herself could live out their existence without role-playing or conforming to the ideals that were prevalent in the bars at that time.

    1982 December 11, Catherine Joseph, “Breaking Barriers”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 21, page 10
nounroleplay (countable and uncountable, plural roleplays)

plural roleplays · alternative role play · alternative role-play · alternative dated rôle play · alternative dated rôle-play · alternative dated rôleplay

  1. countableuncountableThe act or practice of roleplaying; an instance of roleplaying.

    Lesbian, 34, seeks lesbians who enjoy occasional anal sex and role plays. Light s/m ok too.

    1985 August 17, “Personal advertisement”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 6, page 13
    1 more example

    Roy: Let's do some roleplay, OK? Do you think that would be a good idea? Moss: It helped me learn how to buy sandwiches.

    2008 November 21, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 3, Episode 1
  2. countableuncountableThe practice of roleplaying.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
RP

verbperform on a stage or theater

Similar
actplayplayactrepresent
Broader
perform
Also see
actplayrepresent

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From role (“expected behavior”) + play (“perform, act”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French rôler
  • rôlerTo act as a character as part of a fantasy, especially with a group.
Spanish rolear, simular
  • rolearTo act as a character as part of a fantasy, especially with a group.
  • simularTo act as a character as part of a fantasy, especially with a group.
  • jugar a rolesTo act as a character as part of a fantasy, especially with a group.
  • actuarTo act as a character as part of a fantasy, especially with a group.
  • dramatizarTo act as a character as part of a fantasy, especially with a group.
  • teatralizarTo act as a character as part of a fantasy, especially with a group.

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

playlore
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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