play on words
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Use words in a way that is clever or humorous
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Sử dụng từ ngữ một cách thông minh hoặc hài hước
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: using words as if they were a game
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The comedian's joke was a play on words that left the audience laughing
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Equivalents & related
Common questions
What does “play on words” mean?
Use words in a way that is clever or humorous Literally: using words as if they were a game
Is “play on words” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
What is the closest equivalent?
“chơi chữ” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.