[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/wordplay/)

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# wordplay

noun (wordplay; uncountable)

«wordplay» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

Wordplay is a clever or funny use of words, such as puns, rhymes or words with two meanings. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wordplay/#m1)

### In the lessons

Used in English lessons and jokes: puns, riddles, tongue twisters, spoonerisms, crossword clues; writers like Roald Dahl and Lewis Carroll use a lot of wordplay.

### Examples

- The joke «Why was six afraid of seven? Because seven eight nine» uses wordplay. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wordplay/#x1)
- Roald Dahl loved wordplay and invented new words. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wordplay/#x2)
- The riddle depended on wordplay. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wordplay/#x3)
- Crossword clues often use wordplay. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wordplay/#x4)
- Our class wrote poems full of wordplay. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wordplay/#x5)
- The comedian's wordplay made everyone groan and laugh. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wordplay/#x6)

### Note

Uncountable: «a lot of wordplay», not «wordplays». A single example is «a pun» or «a play on words».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «wordplay» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wordplay/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«wordplay» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/wordplay.html) on Mova free.